Orphnoch of Zero
by Kamen Rider Cross
Summary: A human who has recently turned into an Orphnoch has been summoned by Louise. But she feels that the Orphnoch she had summoned is something else. Can she open his heart of ash and bitterness?
1. Chapter 1: The Summon

**Chapter 1: The Summon**

**A/N: Before I start this story, I would just like to say that this is not a self insert. If you aren't interested in this story, I suggest you leave this page unless you are curious. This story is written since I have nothing much to do as well. Also, I will be starting off with the Delta Gear first since it's what my OC is equipped with first. The Human World in this story is also the same as Paradise Lost. Without further ado, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen rider or Familiar of Zero but I do own the main Orphnoch of the story.**

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><p>Fear...<p>

There I was, laying down on the ground with most of my body turned into ash. I had not expected it. If only the attack had succeeded, we would have not lost any of our comrade or even our only chance of fighting back the Orphnochs. Instead, we were betrayed, by our most trusted leader who had sold his soul to the devils. He lead us into an ambush. No one survived it, all except that disgraceful traitor and...me.

But I wasn't part of the betrayal. I was known to the humans as the savior of mankind but here I was, moments away before death. If only I knew that the ambush was led by our leader, I wouldn't have let my friends die. I'm not sure if you know but here is how it had happened, all in the span of two hours from the start of our attack on SMART BRAIN.

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><p><strong><em>Two hours ago,<em>**

_"It looks like it's our turn now."_

_I turned to see Takeo, our leader of the human liberation troops that was formed at the heart of Japan. There he stood before me, a man with a trail of blonde hair that streaked his head. A scar that was made by an Orphnoch was permanently placed near his left eye while his right eye was covered by burnt marks. Along his arms, tattoos of phoenixes were visible. He was also wearing a bulletproof vest for some reason even though we knew that the Orphnochs don't use guns._

_"Takeo-sama, what is that for?" I asked as I pointed over to his leg where it was resting on top of a box with SMART BRAIN's logo on it. _

_He smiled and kicked it over to me as he spoke,"Tadashi-kun, this box contains our disguises that we'll be using during our attack on the Orphnochs."_

_I was dumbfounded. Was the leader of our human liberation troops branch going suicidal? He and I just watched the news that those Orphnochs had just announced. The attack that Mizuhara's branch launched had failed, resulting in six human deaths and three Orphnochs deaths from Kaixa. I was sure that Takeo was going nuts."Takeo-sama, not to be rude but, are you crazy?! You know that the Orphnochs outnumber us! We have no chance of winning!"_

_"You do." Takeo replied calmly as he gestured to my waist where my Delta Gear was resting on. He moved closer to me and continued to speak,"Tadashi-kun, you are the only one out of everyone in this branch who knows that belt inside and out. You have the rights to use that belt which means that we have a chance of defeating the Orphnochs once and for all. All you need to do is believe in me."_

_As he gave me another smile, I felt something in me that screamed danger. But I wasn't sure about it. I gave a sigh and opened the box. I brought out my disguise and went over to the changing room._

_When I came out, I strapped the Delta Gear on my waist and gave Takeo a thumbs up,"I'm ready, leader." Takeo nodded and he walked out of the room with me following him. _

_Once we were out of the room, we were greeted by the rest of the team that had volunteered to join us in our attack. They soon realized that we were out and they quickly saluted Takeo. But when they saw me, they all started laughing._

_"Hey, who brought that kid in here?" One of them spoke._

_"I guess he needed a babysitter so he came to Takeo-sama." Another laughed._

_Takeo glared at them and their laughter halted as Takeo bellowed,"You should all be ashamed of yourselves! This is not a time to be making fun of a fellow human. What's more is that this boy is an important person who will be helping us. So shut your mouths and get your weapons! We're leaving in ten minutes!"_

_As he left to get his weapon, the rest of the team stared at me, astonished at the fact that Takeo shown respect to me. That's right, they were right about almost everything. I am actually the youngest of the newly formed team with an age of 17. Though I am a teen, they would still prefer to call me kid, which I could not stand. _

_I stood before them, in my nearly torn polo shirt with a brown sweater. My wrinkled jeans were also getting on age as the holes on it showed evidence but that was my usual clothing. Currently, I was wearing a silver business suit. Three claw marks from an Orphnoch's hand had claimed most of my right cheek while the left was still untouched. Around my chest, I had body armor just in case any other Orphnoch tried to get any silly ideas. But what astonished the team was the Delta Gear on my waist._

_"This is impossible!" One of the guys spoke."There is no way you're Delta. Surely you are carrying a fake. Yeah, that's right. A fake!" The rest nodded in agreement and I simply rolled my eyes as I walked passed them and got onto the truck's front passenger seat. Then, I hid the Delta Gear underneath my suit. I was not in the mood to prove to them that I was in fact the same Delta that had rescued fifty human refugees from Tokyo a week before what was currently happening. But that was due to the side effects of the transformation I undergone every time I transform. I would increase in height to match any adult male and my strength and speed was enhanced by the Gear whenever I transform._

_Minutes later, Takeo got into the driver's seat while the rest of the team got in the back. As they did, I noticed that they too have changed into their disguise. As the plan goes, we were using our disguise to sneak into SMART BRAIN HQ and pose as new employees while I follow them as their shadow. Then, I will have to search the whole place in search of the rumored Emperor's Belts and destroy them before I regroup with the others to eliminate the Orphnochs using the Delta Gear._

_After we had went through that plan again, I secretly crossed my fingers and hoped that the mission will go smoothly. Takeo noticed this and he gave me a reassuring smile and a pat on the back,"I know you're anxious, Tadashi-kun. But we can pull through if you do as you're told. Remember, the rumors said that the belts are at the top floor. It's being guards by two Orphnochs that are heavily armed. But I'm sure you'll take them out easily with that belt of yours."_

_I gaze at my belt and smiled. Takeo was always the one who has been encouraging me to do my best and this was no exception._

_An hour later, we reached the Orphnoch-filled city that was once known as Tokyo._

_We exited our vehicle and made our way towards the targeted building. As we did, we did our best not to make any eye contact with the 'people' around us. One wrong move and we were done for. I reached into my suit and tightly gripped the Delta Gear as we entered the building. We made our way over to the counter and Takeo spoke,"Excuse me. We're here for the job interview. We're under the name "Takeo"."_

_The woman by the counter smiled,"Yes. We were expecting all of you. The room for the interview is at Floor number 10."_

_Takeo nodded and he gestured the others to follow him while I remained by the counter."I'm sorry. But do you have a washroom around here?" The woman nodded and gestured over to the end of the room. I smiled and thanked her before I made my way over there. Once I was inside, I quickly ran into one of the cubicles and changed into my normal clothing after making sure no one was around._

_Once I was done, I strapped on my Delta Gear and looked up to see a vent. I took out the Delta Blaster and voiced out my command,"Fire."_

**_- Burst Mode! -_**

_I aimed the Delta Blaster at the vent and pulled the trigger, releasing three consecutive shots of energy that blew up the vent and I caught it before it could crash onto the ground. Then, I got into the vent and made my way to the other side of it._

_When I had reached the end of the line, I kicked down the vent cover and I dropped down, landing on my feet. I looked around and saw that it was quiet, too quiet to be exact. Still, I could not let my guard down. I could get jumped at any moment now and I won't let that happen. Then, I spotted the elevator and made my way towards it. Once I was there, I closed the door and pressed the last button of the elevator. Soon, I was making my way towards the top of the building._

_By the time the elevator reached the midpoint, I placed the Delta Blaster back on the strap of the belt and pulled out the Delta Phone before bringing it towards my face,"Henshin."_

**_- Standing By!_**_ -_

_I inserted the Delta Phone back into the Delta Mover and the two pieces connected._

**_- Complete!_**_ -_

_Then, it was followed by a series of beeping tones and a more computerized voice repeated my earlier command._

**_- Henshin!_**_ -_

_A flash of blue light glowed from the Delta Mission Memory and the light surrounded my body, forming the Photon Streams. Once the light vanished, I was soon in a black bodysuit while bits of armor were formed around my shoulders and chest with the Photon Streams attached as well. I was also seeing through an orange colored visor. This was my Delta armor._

_My hand twitched anxiously as the elevator slowly made its way towards the last floor. I slowly placed my hand on the Delta Phone's handle, ready to remove it so that I could blow up any Orphnoch that I was about to see once the doors opens. _

_Once the elevator stopped, I removed the Delta Blaster and quickly spoke,"Fire!"_

**_- Burst Mode!_**_ -_

_I pointed the weapon at the doors as they slowly slid open. However, there wasn't an Orphnoch in sight. I quietly walked out of the elevator and as carefully as I could while my Delta Blaster was aimed and ready to be fired. _

_For a few moments, I felt myself adapting to the quiet atmosphere and I looked around and saw a door in front of me. Still with my Delta Blaster out, I opened the door and aimed my Delta Blaster. However, no one was around. But instead, I was greeted by a table with a stand on it. On the stand, I saw what I had came to destroy, the rumored Emperor's Belts!_

_I picked up the right belt and examined it for a full minute, learning its design. _

_Then, I was attacked from behind. A hand grabbed my collar and yanked me away from the table, causing me to drop the belt on the ground. I crashed near the entrance of the room and I groaned in pain before looking up at my attacker. _

_In front of me, was a blonde guy wearing a black singlet with SMART BRAIN's logo and a pair of pants with yellow stripes. He pointed at me and spoke in proper English."It's good to see you, human. It seems that human was telling the truth when he said that you were coming to destroy the belts. Unfortunately for you, I can't let you do that since I am one of the belts's wearer." _

_He walked over to the left belt and strapped it on his waist as he took out the phone and dialed in the three numbers before dialing the 'Enter' button._

**_- Standing By!_**_ -_

_"Henshin!" He cried as he placed the phone back onto the belt._

**_- Complete!_**_ -_

_As a blue light glowed from the phone's Mission Memory, the light traveled around his body to form his armor's Photon Streams before his armor actually materialized. His armor, in majority, was pale white with his blue Photon Streams connected to his bodysuit and armor. On his chest, there was a purple core and is visor was also the same as his core. And on his back, there was a jet pack...A JET PACK?!_

_"The name's Leo. My superiors wants you gone, Delta. You've caused us Orphnochs some trouble the past few weeks. Now you're going to pay. Let the game begin."_

_The attacker, Leo, gestured his finger and slid it across his neck to show that he was not going to let me live when this is over. I cracked my knuckles as I placed the Delta Blaster back on my belt's strap. Then, the both of us got into our fighting stance._

_For a moment, we didn't move. Until a drop of water from the vent hit the ground, Leo reacted first with a roundhouse kick that caught me off guard, sending me crashing through the wall. Damn, if this guy is this strong with his belt on, I wonder how strong he is without it. If only Takeo had asked Kaixa to help us in our mission, then it would have been an easy one._

_Leo then grabbed my collar again and lifted me up before throwing me onto my back. _

_I slid across the floor due to its slippery feeling and that gave me some fair distance between me and Leo. I pulled out the Delta Blaster and pulled the trigger, releasing the energy beams at him. Thank goodness that I hadn't wasted the Burst Mode on the door. If I did, I would have wasted good ammunition for this battle. But to my disbelief, Leo deflected the energy beams using only his arms._

_"Is that all you've got, Delta? Let me show you how real fire power should be like." Leo taunted as he grabbed the handles on his jet pack, which by the way, was equipped with Gatling Guns. Before I knew it, he had pulled the triggers, causing a wave of bullets to assault me while I was still on the ground. As he stopped, I quickly got back on my feet and ran up to him._

_Leo looked up, only to meet my foot as I delivered a kick to his face. Leo tumbled a few distance from me and he laughed,"Nice try, Delta. But I'm on a different level than you." He leaped up and delivered his own kick to my face, sending me flying._

_I soon crashed and the floor gave way, sending me to the level below me and Leo. As I fell, I crashed on a table and right beside it, there was a man, he looked at me with annoyance as he got up and he changed into an Orphnoch that resembled an Ox. He slammed one of his huge fist onto my chest and then grabbed me. Moments later, he was swinging me around and around before throwing me out of the window. By the way, did I mention that it was a 45 story drop from where I was thrown off?_

_Closing my eyes, I used the remaining six energy beams from the Burst Mode and fired them onto the ground, causing it to break apart and form a smooth surface. Then stretched my legs out as I crashed onto the ground as smoke gathered around me from the impact._

_As the smoke cleared, I was in the middle of a crowd, a crowd of Orphnochs to be exact. At the sight of me, they screamed and scattered everywhere as I look up to see Leo flying down using his jet pack._

_"Shit!" I was going to be dead meat if I stayed and fight him. He had proved that the Emperor's Belt was on a higher level than my own and I wasn't going to give myself a death wish now. If only Kaixa was here with me..._

_"No where left to run, Delta." Leo's voice interrupted me as he landed in front of me. He dropped his jet pack, revealing two of his main weapon, the Psyga Tonfa Edges. He removed the Psyga Mission Memory from his belt and inserted it onto the weapon._

**_- Ready! -_**

_The Tonfa Edges started glowing and Leo swung them at me, landing direct hits as I was still recovering from the landing I had._

_Before I knew it, I was on the ground again with Leo holding each Edge at the sides of my neck. He laughed,"Give up the belt and I'll make sure you can live in peace, as an Orphnoch of course. Who knows, maybe SMART BRAIN will let you keep the belt if you work for us, only if you succeed the evolution."_

_"Not on your life, Leo." I growled as I swung a fist at him, only for him to catch it. Leo scoffed and crushed my hand. I dropped onto my knees and screamed in agony while Leo chuckled at the sound of my bones cracking. Then, he released my hand and kicked me before pinning me down to the ground with his leg._

_"Your loyalty to humanity is respectful. But I can assure you, joining the Orphnochs will be a benefit to both you and us Orphnoch. We could use your skills and knowledge to help crush the humans. After all, there aren't that many of you left. Only two thousand more and we Orphnochs are victorious. You might as well give up."_

_"Never!" I managed to kick Leo off of me and I quickly took out my Delta Mission Memory and inserted it onto my Delta Blaster._

**_- Ready! -_**

_"Check!"_

**_- Exceed Charge! -_**

_As a stream of Photon Blood entered the Blaster, I pulled the trigger and a series of beeping noise followed before a blue energy beam was fired, creating a funnel-like projectile that stunned Leo. I took this chance to execute my finisher, Lucifer's Hammer. I leaped up and stretched out my right foot as I entered the funnel-like projectile and emerged behind Leo._

_However, it went the opposite as I had expected. instead of seeing Leo die, he grabbed me and held me in a choke-hold."Nice try, kid. Only someone as immature and arrogant as you would do such a thing against me. I told you that the Emperor's Belts are on a higher level than yours which means that I can survive that silly attack of yours."_

_He was lying. I know he was. Nothing can survive a finisher like that. He must have moved aside or something but that was impossible since he should have been stunned and unable to move. The Emperor's Belts are more powerful and dangerous than I thought._

_Leo chuckled,"I see you don't believe me. Quite observant of you. Most humans would have freaked out after I said that. Anyway, I'm giving you another chance. Surrender or die."_

_"Hold on, Leo-kun!" A feminine voice called out. Leo turned to see a woman in a blue and black dress. It was her, Smart Lady, the one who had announced the death of the six humans from Mizuhara's branch. Leo stepped aside as Smart Lady walked up to me. She smiled and spoke,"Sorry to interrupt this battle of yours. But I'm here to tell you to give up, Delta-san. You've lost this battle to us." _

_Behind my mask, my eyes were widen in shock. What did she mean by that? She seemed to have realized that and she explained,"Delta-san, your little mission has failed. Your human friends are all dead. None of them had the potential to become Orphnochs." Then, she made a pouting expression and pretended to cry before she laughed._

_"No...you're lying!" I tried to break free from Leo's grip but failed._

_Smart Lady smiled,"From your voice, you must be a teenager. That means you might have a chance to become an Orphnoch. Oh I can't wait for that! Leo-kun, take care of him!"_

_Leo chuckled as he pinned me down while Smart Lady took off my belt, cancelling my transformation. At the sight of my claw marks on my cheek, Leo seemed intrigued."Nice scars you've got. Looks to me you've been marked by one of the Riotroopers. That must feel painful. Too bad this will too." He threw me onto the ground and cancelled his own transformation. Then, he pointed a finger at me and it extended like a tentacle. It jabbed my chest. Oh no. No...this can't be the end...this couldn't be my fate...I am now a goner!_

_Leo's finger soon left my chest and I felt a burning feeling in my heart as I screamed. I looked at my hands and saw that they were disintegrating into ashes. Yep, I was a goner. I looked over to Leo and Smart Lady, only to see grins on their faces as Smart Lady placed the Delta gear back on my waist as it also disintegrated with my body."Consider this a welcome gift from SMART BRAIN, Tadashi-kun."  
><em>

_Smart Lady then gasped as she remembered something,"Oh yes! By the way, your so call leader, Takeo-san, was the one who told us that you were going to destroy our Emperor's Belts in exchange for a mutual relationship with him. But his usefulness is now unnecessary since he isn't an Orphnoch. But you, you are."_

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><p>And that was how it happened. I was told that Takeo had betrayed me so that he could survive. He had sold everyone so that he could survive the onslaught. And I trusted him for Pete's sake!<p>

Now, I was going to die by the hands of the Orphnochs.

**I beg of you...**

Great. Now I was hearing voices. What else could go wrong?

**My servant that exists in the vast universe...heed my call, I wish from the bottom of my heart...**

Wait...was I hallucinating or is this reality? Who is this talking to me and why does it sound like something out of a Harry Potter movie or something like that that involves magic and spells?

**Answer to my guidance and appear!**

Before I could react, a green sphere appeared and it engulfed me.

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><p><strong>AN: That's it for the first chapter! Please tell me what you think of this.**


	2. Chapter 2: New form

**Chapter 2: New form**

**A/N: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen rider or Familiar of Zero but I do own the main Orphnoch of the story.**

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><p>There I was, floating in a dark void that the green sphere had brought me to. I looked down at my hand to see that it had completely turned into ash but what surprised me was that the parts of my body that had turned to ash were still in tact with my remaining body parts as if the ash were merely some sort of suit. I looked down at my waist to see the Delta gear still in tact and everything was still there.<p>

But the only question on my mind was what's going on right now. I mean, a minute ago, I was nearly dead. The now, I was in a dark void filled with nothing but silence. Surely gravity had nothing to do with this since I was floating. Then, a bright light blinded me as I shielded my eyes from the sudden brightness of the place. Then, I felt something. It was...the wind?!

I opened my eyes, only to my horror, I was free falling towards the ground. How did I get all the way up here?! Did SMART BRAIN invent a machine that could teleport you to the sky within seconds? Wait a minute...the ground's filled with green grass. This isn't possible. The grass wasn't green before! They were literally dying all the time and I'm not exaggerating it!

Before I could continue my thoughts, I unknowingly crashed onto the ground. Not only that but there was already smoke that covered my surroundings. I got up from the ground, wait a second, just now I was nearly dead. How was I standing when nearly half my body had turned to ash?!

I soon got my answer when I looked down at my hands. There, in places of what was supposed to be ash, were my hands! And I meant it, my hands looked as if they were there since, like, forever! I soon realized that it wasn't the only thing that was unusual. Before I had appear in this place, I was wearing my refugee clothes. But now, I was somehow clad in a cloak with SMART BRAIN's logo on it as well as a SMART BRAIN uniform that the Riotroopers wear. Attached to my waist was the Delta Gear with all its devices still in tact even after that fall and it was also concealed by the cloak. There was also a cloak that hid my face for some reason. This was kinda confusing for me since I thought that becoming an Orphnoch means I get to keep my clothes. But still, I was certain that I had been reborn as an Orphnoch.

Soon, the smoke cleared and I heard multiple gasps from voices all around me. I looked up and saw not one, not two, but nearly a whole group of people all around me! They were all in different heights so I wasn't sure the estimated age would be. But luckily, I was able to identify an adult in the crowd. He was as old as a teacher I once knew before the Orphnochs took over. He wore some sort of clothing that I think was a robe or something like that. He was bald, that's for sure, no offense. He did had hair at the back of his head though. He had a staff in his right hand. There was also a sling bag on him as well.

For the others, they were all wearing almost the exact same clothes. They wore matching white shirts, black pants while skirts for the girls present, they even had cloaks over their shoulders with a gold brooch of a pentagram depicted on it. I guess they were students but I wasn't sure about it since it was a guess.

This was getting weirder. Am I really still in Tokyo? Is this part of the Orphnochs's way of welcoming a new Orphnoch? If so, I am going to puke because this looked like something out of a Harry Potter movie!

"What kind of Familiar could that be?" I heard someone whispered in English or was it French? I wasn't sure since I tend to mix up the languages that I know of. But mostly, I was sure it was English.

"It looks like a mage!" Another cried. A mage? Am I seriously in this kind of Orphnoch welcome party? And what was a Familiar? I had so many questions that need to be answered! After everyone heard that last word, I received many looks of interest and even the bald man had the same expression.

Just then, a girl walked up to me. She was wearing the same clothing as the other girls around here and I would guess she should be shorter due to her height. I would guess 13 years old maybe? But something about her surprised me. She was totally pink and I mean it. She had pink hair that stretched down to her back, naturally or dyed, I would never know if I ask. Even her eyebrows were pink! I starting to consider dye since pink eyebrows aren't natural. But there was also something a bit crazy about her; she looked kind of adorable the way her eyes questioned my appearance. Curses! How were hormones reacting right now?!

"What are you doing here?!" She demanded. Then, she gave a slight gasp before I could find the right words to answer,"No...it can't be that..."

She was cut off by the laughter of the others behind her, except for the bald man and a short blue-haired girl with glasses.

"As expected from Louise the Zero!"

"Out of all the things she could have summoned, she summoned a mage! I wonder how mad that mage is going to be when he/she finds out that the Zero summoned him/her!"

Summoned? Isn't this a place where new Orphnochs are welcomed into the Orphnoch society? This is getting weirder and weirder by the second.

"S-Shut up!" The pink-haired girl, who I suspect to be Louise, yelled as she gripped a stick in her hand. Then, she faced the bald man and pleaded,"Professor Colbert, please let me do it again! This has got to be a mistake!"

The bald man, known as Professor Colbert, shook his head and replied,"That is not possible! It is strictly forbidden and is a sacred ceremony that determines a mage's life. If I allowed her to redo it, then it would be an insult to the ceremony itself! Regardless, that mage has been decided as your Familiar Spirit. And no matter how much struggle that mage is about to cause, he/she has to embrace his/her new role as a Familiar now since there is nothing in the history of the ceremony that states that a Familiar or a master can change the contract."

Are these people really Orphnochs? I was certain that these people are Orphnochs who enjoy the fantasy genre a lot to be making things up like mages and such. But my theory became a bit...far-fetched when I saw a creature that looked like a...a...giant floating eyeball! But I had to keep my cool in front of all these people. If this was a test that SMART BRAIN used to see which Orphnochs were worthy to join them, I would say this is a bit too much to handle.

Then, another tanned-skin female student with long, red hair and brownish-gold eyes walked up to the pink-haired girl. I had to admit, she was pretty attractive. Not only was she a pretty-face, she had the body to match as well. But this kind of girl isn't my type. So I didn't act like most of the male students that I saw."This makes all you said worth it! I would never have guessed that you would summon another Noble! I can just imagine the troubles you're going to be in!"

"Shut up Kirche! It was just a screw up!" Louise cried while she was still blushing in embarrassment.

"That's Louise the Zero for ya! You never failed to meet our expectations!" Another student remarked. All the students started laughing again as Louise turned to the professor, who must be the students's teacher.

"Professor Colbert! This has got to be a mistake! I've never heard of someone taking another Noble as a Familiar Spirit!"

"We do now!" Another student voiced out, causing the students to break into another round of laughter.

I gave a soft sigh as I took this opportunity to find out at least some facts of the place I was in. Apparently, I was in a courtyard or something. In front of me was a castle-like building. But I soon realized that it was the school. Damn, schools that I've been to would never be as fancy as this one was.

But am I even still on Earth? That eyeball monster was enough to change my mind. Another sigh escaped my mouth when I gave up the thought that I was even on Earth anymore. There was no way Earth was as peaceful looking as this place now with the Orphnochs taking over. I guess I have to blend in with the locals then.

"Well, there's a first time for everything, Miss Vallière. Noble or not, there are no exceptions. That mage will serve as your Familiar."

Wait, wait, wait, wait, did that man just say serve? Oh dear god...did I just sold my soul, again? First, it was the Delta Gear contract. Then, it was the Orphnoch contract. Now, it was this whatever 'Familiar' contract. I couldn't stay here! I still have to protect the remaining humans from the Orphnochs! Can my life get any better?

"Now, continue the ceremony." The professor reprimanded.

"Y-Yes sir..."

Snickers were heard from the other students as Louise walked up to me.

"Come on, Louise! You can't possibly fail at this too, right?" A student mocked, receiving giggles of agreement.

"Or maybe she can, remember she is the Zero." Another student mocked as every student besides the short blue-haired girl joined in to jeer Louise. Amazingly, Louise ignored them and she continued walking towards me.

Then, she spoke,"Could you at least remove your hood? I need to see your face."

I rolled my eyes and reached for my hood before pulling it down to reveal my face. I soon received gasped not only from Louise, but also from the other students. Well, mostly the guys while the girls were sort of blushing which also included Louise.

"Look at the scars on his face!" Shouted a male student.

"He probably got in a fight with a dragon or something." Another replied.

I glared at them both, silencing them.

"You should be thankful for this! It's rare to receive this kind of thing from a family who's close to the royal family!" Louise hissed quietly at me as she continued,"My name is Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Pentagon of the five elemental powers; bless this humble being, and make him my Familiar." Then, she promptly grabbed my cloak and pulled me in for a kiss...on the lips!

My eyes widen with shock as she quickly separated from my lips. Oh this was just perfect...I just had my first kiss stolen by some random cute girl. Ugh! Those stupid hormones were acting up again!

Louise blushed and she looked away from me. Before I could demand an explanation, I felt a stinging pain in my right hand. I shakily lifted my hand up to see steam appearing above it as my skin suddenly turned red and strange writings appeared afterwards. I was fortunate that the pain was minimize by the Delta Gear since it has the ability to receive half the damage inflicted on me.

I looked down at the Delta Gear to see that it was still concealed and I gave a sigh of relief. But right now, the writings on my hand were more important. I lifted my hand so that I could see the writings clearly. It looked sort of like a rune or something like it. The rune was also in a form of writing that I couldn't understand. What could it mean?

"Would you mind if I look at it?" Colbert asked me. I was pretty sure that he was interested in the rune on my hand as well.

I wasn't sure if I should speak but if anyone knows, you shouldn't talk to strangers, oh childhood references. Anyway, I stretched out my hand with the rune on it and Colbert examined it."That's odd. Most contracts aren't so specific as this one." So it's true then. I did sold my soul to this girl, unwillingly and unknowingly!

The students soon gathered around to see the symbol on my hand and the professor quickly disperse the crowd, telling them to go back to their dorms. Then, he flew away. Wait a minute...he flew?! That's when I realized that there were more creatures straight out from fairy tale books that were probably Familiars to other students. There was a dragon, a freakin' dragon!

Louise tugged on my sleeve and I turned to look at her. She still had the blush on her face as she spoke to me,"Um...Familiar, follow me. I'll show you to our room." Yep, that confirms it. I just sold my soul again. *sighs*

I just gave Louise a simple nod as I followed her while admiring my rune on my hand as well.

* * *

><p>Once we had reached her room, I looked around and examined the room that I was going to be staying. A table, two chairs, a cupboard, a mirror with its own table and drawers, a bed and a pile of hay. Though the last one seemed to confuse me a lot.<p>

Louise pointed at the pile of hay and spoke,"That's where you'll be sleeping in, Familiar." You've got to be kidding me, right? Me, sleep in a pile of hay? At least the Delta contract allowed me to have a bed from the human liberation troops camp. But I couldn't blame her. She probably was shock to even have me here instead of something else smaller like a dog or something. Still, the least she could do is get another bed now that she knows I'm her Familiar or whatever they call it.

The pink-haired girl continued,"I'm not sure if you know, Familiar. But now that you and I have a contract, you are now my servant. You are expected to do everything I say from now on." I just rolled my eyes. Yeah, I think I had figured that part about me being a servant to this bratty girl. She plopped onto the bed and groaned into the pillow,"This is the worst day ever! I was supposed to summon a magnificent Familiar, but instead, I got a Noble!"

Wow, I was not serving a bratty girl, I was serving an obnoxious and spoiled brat of a girl!

Louise looked back at me and sneered,"You know, the least you could do is talk! Who are you anyway? Are you a Triangle mage or something?" Triangle mage? What is that suppose to mean? What do the basic shapes have to do with this mess I am in?

The pink-haired girl's sneer turned into a glare the moment I hardly spoke and she placed her hands on her hips,"I'm waiting for my answer!"

I sighed. I guess I have no choice now that she's my master. Well, it's time to put my English into good use."My name is Tadashi. Just Tadashi. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Ta-da-chi?" Louise repeated with confusion.

"It's Tadashi." I replied with annoyance as I sat on one of the chairs. I pulled down my hood and gave a sigh as I rested an arm on the table."So, I told you my name. And I know your name. So tell me, Louise, where am I suppose to be in?"

"You're in Tristain's Tristanian Academy of Magic." Louise replied while lying back on her bed.

"Tristain? What kind of country has that name?" I asked. If this is true, then this isn't Earth. But I had to get an answer first.

"You never heard of Tristain?!" Louise nearly shouted as she got up from her bed."How long have you been shut in your room? You're in the Tristain Kingdom on the mainland Halkeginia. Isn't that the most simplest thing that anyone would know?"

Tristain? Halkeginia? I have no idea what in the world those are. The only continents I know of are Asia, Europe, Australia, North and South America. And I've been paying attention in my Geography class before the Orphnoch's attack. The way she reacted to my answer confirms it. This isn't Earth. But another world...

I looked out of the window and I received the shock of my life. T-there were...two moons?! And how was it night?! This really isn't Earth anymore. The night doesn't come this early in the day. And I can't ignore the fact about the two moons. I'm definitely on a different world!

"I guess you can say that I'm from a different world then." I replied as I gazed at the two moons.

Again, I received a gasp from Louise."You can't be serious! How could there be another world?"

"I wish that were true too. But it's true, Louise. In my world, there's only one moon and there are two moons here in Halkeginia as you call this place. It's the only explanation that is a fact. Nothing else can compare to this. So now, I demand that you send me back to where I once came from!"

Louise's face turned red with anger as she screamed in my face,"How dare you demand such a request?! I am a Noble and so were you! But now, you're nothing more than a Familiar! So **I **demand that you show me the respect I deserve!"

"And I told you before, I am not from this world! I am not a Noble! I am just Tadashi, a human who is trying to protect what's left of my **own **kind back in my world!"

After hearing that, Louise's anger suddenly vanished. Instead, it was replaced with a shocked expression."W-what do you mean by 'protect what's left of your kind'? Aren't the humans in your world like mine?"

I shook my head.

"Do you think I can do tricks like kissing strangers and giving them a rune on their hands which makes them my servants? Do you think my world has creatures from fairy tales? No! My world is in total chaos now that I'm not around to protect my people! And it's all because of you!" I pointed at her, causing her to flinch as I continued,"If it wasn't for you, I could have been reborn back on my world and fight back! Instead, I had to be reborn in this place."

"Reborn? What do you mean? And what's wrong with your world that is making you protect your people?! As your master, I demand to know!" Louise cried.

I groaned. There wasn't a need to explain anything about the Orphnochs to this girl. She's too immature and serving her would be a pain in the ass if I did! I looked at her with a glare,"Listen, Louise, remember that it's your fault for causing an extinction of two thousand humans back in my world! Without me, my people won't stand a chance against the enemy forces! Not even Kaixa could fight against all of them..." I muttered the last part to myself. I couldn't let Louise know about Kaixa. But I was worried for him. If he were to face Leo like I did, Humanity's done for.

I looked back at Louise, who was now looking down at the floor with her fists clenched and her body shaking,"Get...out." I raised an eyebrow. What did she say?

"Get...Out!" Louise shoved me out of the door and slammed it right on my back. I scoffed. So much for treating a Familiar with respect to earn a similar respect.

I heaved a sigh as I calmed down from my outburst. All I needed to do now is to find a way back so that I could get back in action and maybe even defeat Leo. Yes! That's what I need to do!

* * *

><p>As I walked down the stairs of the dorms to the ground floor of the compound, I hid behind the wall on the last flight of stairs as I heard a conversation going on.<p>

"I'm good at making soufflé."

"I'd love to have a taste of that."

Why did the male's voice sound so familiar? Wait, I remember! He was there when Louise summoned me. But that girl with him didn't sound the same as the girl he was with earlier. Oh ho~ This sounds like a two timer situation. I couldn't help but record it. I removed the Delta Mover from my belt strap and clicked on the record button as I secretly filmed the whole thing. Have I ever mention that I was the gossip type before the Orphnochs appeared in my life?

"Really?" The girl asked.

"Of course, Katie. I would never lie to your eyes." The blonde-haired replied with a smile on his face.

The girl, Katie started to blush as she sighed,"Sir Guiche..."

Guiche kept the smile on his face and continued,"There's never a hidden side of my affection for you."

After a moment, I quickly pressed the stop button and placed the Delta Mover back on my belt strap. I chuckled to myself as I walked out, catching the attention of the two students.

"It's the weird Familiar that Louise summoned." Guiche said as he stared at me.

Katie hid behind him and her body started shivering,"Oh my...the first year students said that he looked scary but he's even more scary in person! Sir Guiche, I'm scared."

Guiche smiled as he patted the girl's back,"It's alright, Katie. I won't let this mage do you any harm. I am an Earth mage after all."

I merely scoffed which surprised them since they've never heard me say anything when I was summoned. Before they could say anything, I was already out of their sights. But what were they talking about? Mage? What was an Earth mage?

I soon arrived at the school's inner fountain where I heard another conversation. Probably another couple.

"It's almost like a dream that I'm alone with you, the Feveret Kirche."

"I don't think I can stop at feveret tonight."

Wait, it was the same redhead that was complaining about me being Louise's Familiar. I saw that the man beside her was actually older than her by looks itself.

As I walked out of my cover, the two spotted me and the redhead was the first to speak,"Oh, it's Zero Louise's Familiar. Sticks, could you believe it? Vallière summoned a Noble as her Familiar."

The guy, Sticks as the redhead called him, spoke,"It's nothing compared to your salamander, Kirche. I'm sure he can't do anything right, just like Louise the Zero. That's why she summoned him." The two then shared a laugh.

I was completely annoyed. If only I knew how to use my Orphnoch powers, then I could teach them a lesson about messing with me. Then, I felt a burning hatred growing in my chest.

**Humans are pathetic creatures. We Orphnochs are the superior beings! Let's show them our power!**

Could it be? Could it be the Orphnoch side of me was speaking to me? But all I know, my interest in going back to my world was slowly fading away from my mind.

As I walked pass the two Nobles, they noticed that I was dropping feathers from my back. What was going on with me? Why were there feathers in my cloak? I was sure that I only had my Delta Gear strapped to my waist and nothing else. Unless...

I dashed out of the room and ran straight to the courtyard where I was summoned by Louise. There, I fell onto my knees as I clutched my head. Then, I felt my hands changing. I looked up and gasped. My hands were turning into ash again! No, no, no, no! This can't be happening! I thought I was reborn as an Orphnoch! Wasn't that mysterious voice in my head the voice of my inner Orphnoch that has been awakened by Leo?! My mind was completely at a blank.

A howl of pain escaped my mouth as my entire body turned into ash. My ashed body piled and formed a small mountain of ash. Then, my 'body' reappeared in a new form. This form, was it my Orphnoch form?

Ash colored arms stared back at me with curved claws resembling talons attached to my hands. I stared down at my body and saw that my chest was covered by a feather vest of something. I felt my face and realized that there was some sort of a wing structure that covered my left eye. I felt my right cheek and sighed as the scars were still there. I had markings all over my body. And all of them were just like any other Orphnochs that I've seen. Then, I felt my forehead and something curved and sharp. I soon realized that it was a beak. What kind of Orphnoch am I?! I've never heard of a Orphnoch like the one I had become. So what could it be?

The mysterious voice in my head started laughing.

**You surprised me, Tadashi. Who knew you, Delta, would allow me, your Orphnoch, to help you ascend to the next step of Human Evolution. Ha! Ha! ha! I'm starting to think that you're finally accepting the presence of Orphnochs now that you are one of them. That's a good thing! **

"No! W-why are you doing this to me? Am I not tortured enough?!" I cried into my mind and the mysterious voice, belonging to my Orphnoch-half, laughed again.

**Tortured? I am giving you some tips on learning the ways of the Orphnochs! Rule number one of the Orphnochs is that we are to eradicate any human that comes into contact with us! And I think I know who could be your first candidate. What do you think? Should we try our luck and turn that brat, Louise, into one of us?**

"You sick bastard! Louise may be a brat, but she's still a human! And I swore on my Delta Gear when I first received it that I will protect all humans!"

**But you have already failed that oath, didn't you?**

I froze. Why wasn't I protesting? I have done my best to defend humanity. Why would he say such things?

**Because you allowed your friends to die when you attacked SMART BRAIN. Did you ever thought about that? Think about it, Takeo became a coward when he was cornered by the Orphnochs and he sacrificed the whole team to survive and he still died anyway. They were supposed to be in your care, Tadashi! You broke the oath when the first human of the team was killed! And you dare call yourself Humanity's Savior. Don't make me laugh.**

It...it was true. I was responsible for the deaths of the whole team back then. I can't deny it no matter what I say. I am not a savior, but a hypocrite. I said that I would protect all humans but I let them get killed anyway. Who am I to call myself that? I was nobody...

My Orphnoch-half laughed harder.

**Tadashi, I'm only going to repeat this once. Forget about Humanity. What has it ever done for you? Nothing! Humans only treat you nicely because you hold the power to protect them from harm. But imagine if it wasn't you who received the Delta Gear, were they going to look at you the same way? I'm sure that they would cast you aside as a nobody. Come on, just consider what I have to offer and you can forget all these sorrowful and bitterness you hold within your soul.**

"W-what do you have in mind?" I asked.

I was certain that I felt my Orphnoch-half grin as he cackled.

**I'm prepared to offer you immortality, Tadashi. As you know, normal Orphnochs have a limited lifespan that could only be changed to an eternity with the help of the Orphnoch King. But I, however, am the Orphnoch King's personal bodyguard. I am Griffon Orphnoch! **

"Griffon?" I asked.

**Yes. The griffon, a creature that has always protected kings of mythical stories. The same thing applies to me. I, by myself, achieved immortality through my own strength. With my immortality, I serve the Orphnoch King with pride as his guard. But after his disappearance, I was trapped within the Spirit World because of my immortality. You see, unlike other Orphnochs, who are born through a human's death, I have the right to choose who I want to be my host. That's when you were born, Tadashi. It was fate that brought us together when you were born! You hold the potential to become me, Griffon Orphnoch, and I was at the right place and at the right time to have discovered you. That's also when I have been hiding within your body. Till the day that the Orphnochs shall rise, I would not until I felt the presence of the Orphnoch King or the other option was that you get killed by another Orphnoch. So, what do you say, partner? Do you accept?**

"I...I need time to consider."

**Tadashi, you may already have my body. But you don't my immortality. I'm giving you four days to decide. If you don't decide by then, I will be sure to take over your entire body and mind and make it all mine. But if you do choose it, I will give you my immortality and my loyalty. Four days, Tadashi. Remember that. And remember this as well, Death is an Orphnoch's path to birth.**

Before I could say anything, I felt Griffon's presence vanish from my mind as I slowly reverted back into a human again. I fell on my back against the soft grass and gazed up at the night sky, panting as I did. Right now, my mind was in a deep mess. First, I died and came to this world to become a servant to a brat, and then I found out that I was a vessel for an ancient Orphnoch.

Could my life just get any better?

Then, I started hearing rustling of the grass. I quickly turned and I saw nothing.

I got up and walked over to where I had heard it come from. It took me awhile to figure out what it was but I soon saw it. Tire tracks! And it seemed to be going in a curved manner. But why did it looked familiar. It's as if I've seen it before, like it was from Earth. I had to find out more about it. So, I decided to follow the trail.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile in the school's library, Professor Colbert was busy flipping through pages of books in search of any sign of explanation for Tadashi's unknown rune.<em>

_He wasn't sure about it though. He was certain that the book he was currently looking through had the answer to his question but he couldn't find it."Come on, come on, where is it?"_

_Colbert continuously flipped through the book until he had reached the midpoint of it. He gasped as soon as he found the picture of the exact same rune as Tadashi's,"This is it! I've found it!" As he read through the description of the rune, he suddenly felt worried."It can't be...I'll have to inform the principal as a precaution."_

_As he closed the book, he heard footsteps from outside the window. Colbert blew the fire from the candle away and he quietly made his way to the window. Colbert took a look out of it and his eyes widen. Right outside was none other than Tadashi himself."What's it doing out here? Shouldn't all Familiars be in their masters in their rooms?" Colbert mumbled to himself as he observed Tadashi._

* * *

><p>It was still strange to me.<p>

How could there be tire tracks here in this world? From the information I've gathered from Louise just by having that talk with her, I could tell that this world isn't as advanced as mine. So how were tire tracks present in this world? Not to mention it's just within the school's compound too. I smell something fishy, but not literally.

And since I've found out that I wasn't able to sleep due to one of my Orphnoch skills, I decided to investigate further.

Now I know what you're thinking, how could a 17 years old boy know anything about investigating things? Well, for starters, I have enjoyed watching those kind of movies with detectives that investigate crime scenes. It was thanks to that, I was able to locate the human refugees in Tokyo and brought them to the refugee camp. It was also at that time when I received the Delta Gear. But that memory was kinda foggy in my mind ever since I became an Orphnoch. I'm just lucky that the Delta Gear is still functional.

Anyway, I searched throughout the courtyard and found that it led me back to the fountain where I had saw Kirche and that guy, Sticks.

I spotted the tire tracks. As I went closer, I noticed another line next to it with the same imprints. I also noticed that the tracks were fresh, meaning something that caused it must have came and drove around this area twice before I got there. And from the tracks, I figured that it came from the same bike. How did I know that? Well, thanks to my new Orphnoch enhancement, I was able to see the height of the depth left behind by the object. I call it my "Griffon Eyes". But what was strange was that I was on solid ground and the tracks created a small trench on it even though it wasn't able to.

But I realized something.

The only vehicle that was capable of doing so was the rumored Auto Vajin that only the Legendary Faiz user could use. Auto vajin was a bike like the ones the Riotroopers use but the only difference was that Auto Vajin could transform into a robot and assist its master in battle. Though I have yet to catch a glimpse of that vehicle, I have heard tales of it and how it was destroyed together with Faiz during the Riotroopers's attack before the Orphnoch invasion.

Still, it was only a guess. There could be another explanation for it. Perhaps a wheel of a vehicle from this world, if they had one that is.

From the tracks, I could tell that it had arrived nearly a few minutes ago. But what spiked up my curiosity was that no one had heard anything when this strange vehicle-like object appeared or left. It was almost like it was as silent as the wind itself. This would have been much more easier if my Griffon Eyes could help me project a silhouette of the vehicle. That would be quite useful. Too bad I didn't have that kind of ability. But that's the fun part, I will need to solve the mystery of this vehicle by myself!

"I see you've found the tracks of the Shadow Wheel." I quickly turned around to see the bald teacher from earlier, Professor...Colbert, was it? He approached me and pointed his staff at the tracks and continued,"The Shadow Wheel always appears during the night when everyone's asleep. No one has ever seen it or hear it. That's why we call it the Shadow Wheel. At first, we suspected a snake roaming the school but we found no sign of that creature so we came to a conclusion that this was from a wheel."

Wait, are you telling me that it came here before?

"I don't know about you, Mister, but if you plan to figure it out, you can do it in the morning. All Familiars have to be with their masters at all times and all students have to be asleep during this time of the night. Since you're a Noble, you should follow the rules." Colbert told me as he walked away.

Jeez, did he really thought I was a Noble? I don't even know what a Noble does! But I suspect it has something to do with what I've heard so far. Were these Nobles mages? People who uses magic according to fairy tales? If so, what does that make me?

With that clouding my mind, I headed back to Louise's room.

* * *

><p><em>While Tadashi made his way back into the dorms, something had been watching him from afar.<em>

_It had picked up the Delta Gear's signal since it had appeared and the machine had managed to track it down to the school. Now, it knows who its user shall be. Once Tadashi disappeared from its view, the vehicle revved its engine and did a U-turn before driving off as silently as the wind._

* * *

><p>As I was heading back to Louise's room, I stopped in my tracks as I felt Griffon returning.<p>

**Tell me that you're not doing what I think you're doing, Tadashi. If you enter that room now, I can bet you the Delta Gear that Louise will explode and you will be in a heap of trouble with her.**

I rolled my eyes,"Why should I care? She was the one who chased me out anyway."

I continued an argument with Griffon as I walked and I didn't noticed that I bumped into someone. I turned my attention to the person and I heard Griffon gasp within my mind. In front of me...and, well, Griffon too, was an attractive looking girl dressed in a maid outfit with black hair and dark eyes. Even if she was a human from this world, she reminded me a lot of the girls back in Japan.

**She's...she's...no, no, no. I'm not going to say it! Curses! I hate these hormones of yours! How can they infect me when I'm a spirit?!**

I mentally chuckled,"Serves you right for emerging during this time of the year." I soon brought my attention to the maid and helped her up.

"T-thank you, sir." She stuttered as she held my hand while getting up. Then, she looked up to me and gasped."Are you the Noble that Miss Vallière summoned to be her Familiar?"

I just nodded to her,"Yes. I am Tadashi." Did word really spread as fast as lightning in this world? "And you are?"

The maid bowed,"Forgive me for my manners. My name is Siesta."

"Let me guess, you're one of the maids working in this school to serve those spoiled brats that call themselves Nobles." I spoke and earned a nod from the maid.

"Yes. The staff here in this school includes Nobles who are teachers as well as Commoners such as me to provide the students services."

Commoners now? What am I in? Some kind of medieval period? Maybe I am considering that Commoner also means Peasant. Jeez, that makes me a Commoner too. Then what do the Nobles do? I was sure that magic played a part in this no matter how many times I deny it.

"I heard you got in a fight with Miss Vallière too."

Word does spread fast around here. Damn. That means that I have to be careful of my actions and words.

"Yes. I did get in a fight with her."

"What was it about?"

I sighed as I looked away,"It was nothing. I was just telling her that she just caused the extinction of my people the moment she summoned me." Wow, I just stated that as plainly as I could have!

Siesta gasped,"W-what?!"

I nodded,"Yes. With me gone from my world, I can confirm that my people are goners. Without me, their savior, they are easy targets to pick off now that they have nothing to defend themselves with."

"I'm...I'm sorry that I made you talk about that when I shouldn't. I'm sorry!" She immediately bowed.

"No. Please, don't apologize, Siesta. You didn't know. But it was mostly my fault. I just let myself get beaten by one of the enemy and I lost. If I had won, maybe I wouldn't have come here. But if I even did win and I'm taken to this place, my people are still going to die and it's all my fault." I slammed a fist onto the wall beside me as tears ran down my cheeks. I was still calling myself their savior. But really, what rights do I have to say that? None.

Siesta placed a hand on my shoulder and she spoke,"I may not be a Noble, Tadashi, but I do know from observations that when students summon a Familiar, the spell itself will find the right Familiar to be with the student. And apparently, it chose you to be Miss Vallière's Familiar."

"How does that help me, Siesta? I am chosen to be a Familiar to a mage that everyone calls a failure from what I've heard so far. That makes me an absolute failure just like her! I couldn't defend myself and that caused me my purpose of life. Now, I am nobody. I may look like a mage but I can't use magic and that makes me a Commoner like you. Life just isn't fair!"

"Life is never fair from the beginning, Tadashi." Siesta replied with a comforting smile."Life has never been fair to anyone because everyone has to decide their own paths. And for you, your path is now as Miss Vallière's Familiar. But you can decide what you can do as her Familiar. It's your life. Make full use of it instead of acting like a failure. Because if you do, there won't be anything good that will fall along your path, only misery."

Then, she started walking away,"It was nice meeting you, Tadashi. I hope I can see you again tomorrow. And please, take my advice and apologize to Miss Vallière. She might forgive you if you do." Might. That was the word I am worried about. Before I could say anything, Siesta had already left. Maybe she was right. Maybe Louise would forgive me if I apologize to her.

* * *

><p>Morning soon arrived and I stepped back into Louise's room.<p>

To my surprise, she was already up but she wasn't dressed. She was in a nightgown instead of her uniform.

Louise spotted me and looked away."I thought I told you not to come back here."

I rolled my eyes as I sat down on the same chair I had the previous night. I looked at her for a moment and then looked away,"I...I just want to say that I am sorry, about last night."

An eyebrow was raised by Louise as her arms remained folded. Did she want me to apologize more? "Look, I know I was wrong to say those things to you, Louise. It was also my fault for not being able to save myself from the beginning. I deserve to take the blame and not put it on you. Not only that, you are my master, the person who summoned me to be her servant. And as any servant knows, all servants must be respectful to their master. So, I'm sorry."

I bowed to Louise. For a while, I waited to see her response and she sure gave it to me. She simply gave me a nod of approval and spoke,"It's good that you finally apologize to me, Tadashi. If you didn't, I would have to give you nothing to eat for the rest of your life."

**Told you so.**

"Shut it, Griffon!" I screamed at him and he gave me a chuckle.

Then, Louise tossed me her uniform and I gave her a confused look before she replied,"Dress me." Whoa, whoa, whoa, I just came back in to apologize and then she acts like nothing happened and then ordered me to dress her even though I'm a guy? I don't get this brat.

As she took out her nightgown, I turned away, blushing. Damn you hormones! Why did she have to make me do this?!

**Still, at least you get to see a girl naked for the first time right?**

"One more word, Griffon, and I'll kill you!"

**Let's see you try. I'm already dead anyway. And even if you try, I'm within your soul so you can't really do any harm to me but yourself. So, let's see you try.**

I hate that bird...

"Ahem, I'm waiting here." I heard Louise said. I quickly turned around, with my eyes still close. Then, I slowly made my way towards her and I started dressing her up.

* * *

><p>"There." I was finally done after a few minutes. I had finally put on her cloak for her, which was the last thing and I was given a satisfied nod. Though dressing her up was tough since I've never done it for anyone else, besides myself, I did find her somewhat adorable when she was silent...oh not again. When will the hormones go away?!<p>

"Thank you, Tadashi." As she picked up her wand, she looked back at me,"Let's go."

"Eh? Where to?" This was a huge confusion to me. Do Nobles have breakfast in this world or do they skip that and go straight to classes?

"To breakfast, of course." Louise replied back before turning back and walking out of the room. Okay, forget what I just said before. I was still having thoughts about my previous master since he always gets his breakfast in bed.

Louise and I soon entered the dining room of the school. I've got to admit, it looked pretty impressive. It was a huge room to begin with. There were also staircases that would lead the students and teachers back to their classes, which was convenient. There were also three tables that extended from one end of the room to the other, which means that the table was close to the stairs and the entrance of the room. And for decorations, there were statues all lined up along the walls of the room. Fancy, I must say.

As soon as Louise and I entered, multiple whispers were heard and they all were about me.

"Look! It's Louise the Zero and her Familiar."

"What's he doing? Isn't he supposed to be angry with the Zero for summoning him instead of an animal?"

"His scars look frightening in person!"

"What kind of mage is he? Is he a Wind mage or something?"

"I don't know. But he looks kind of cute."

Ugh. What's with this mage business? I don't do any magic tricks! I am...you know what, I not going to say it anymore. I am not a savior of Humanity. But I did appreciate that last comment.

We soon reached Louise's place and she gestured me to pull out her chair, which I did, and she sat down on it before I pushed it back in before I sat next to her.

"You know, Familiars don't usually sit on the chair but since you're a Noble like all of us, I specially allowed you to." Louise spoke. I just rolled my eyes and looked away.

"Did you hear? I heard that Professor Colbert told that Familiar about the Shadow Wheel. Do you think that he has any connection with the Shadow Wheel?" I heard a male student behind me whispered as another boy replied him.

"He wouldn't. What's makes you think that? The Shadow Wheel is probably some troublemaker pulling some tricks on us with those tracks. There isn't a wheel that could make that kind of tracks. Just look at the tracks, they have small bumps in between each other."

That could be possible considering that I was thinking the same thing. It's either a vehicle or as the student said, someone pulling a prank. A convincing prank, I must say. It's almost realistic to me.

Then, the students held their hands similar to the people who would pray. And indeed, they were praying."Oh, Great Founder Brimir and her Royal Highness, we are once again grateful for the humble meal that you have brought us this morning." Wow, I wonder if this Brimir they speak of is like God or something.

As the students tucked into their meals, I took the time to get accustom to the students. All I've found from yesterday was that black cloaks represents second year students according to what everyone says since all I've been hearing from the students behind me were that the second year students were extremely unlucky to have seen me first, thinking that I may be some kind of Noble who's from a Noble family that has control over an army or something like that since they mentioned my scars.

Judging by the purple cloaked students, I would say that they were the seniors of all the students as they looked much older than the rest while the brown cloaked students were the freshmen of the school.

Then, I felt Louise elbowed me and I looked towards her."Aren't you hungry, Tadashi?"

She was right. Why wasn't I hungry? Could this be one of my new Orphnoch abilities?

**Yes it is, Tadashi. As the personal guard of the Orphnoch King, I was created without the desire to eat anything. So basically, I'm an Orphnoch who can't feel hunger or thirstiness since the Orphnoch King is always on the move in the past. And now that you have my body, you inherit all my abilities as well. So, doesn't the deal sound a lot more interesting now?**

I waved him off and turned to Louise,"I'm not hungry, Louise. I lost my will to survive the moment I lost my will to fight. All I've ever done in my life was fight. And that made me hungry since I need energy. But now, I'm a useless fighter. I can't even cast a spell like normal Nobles because I'm just a Commoner in your world. I don't deserve this food."

"Just eat, Tadashi." Louise replied."You've been complaining and whining about you failing ever since you arrived in this world but yet you haven't realized that that was in the past and this is the present. It's time you start afresh, Tadashi. You said that you were a fighter once, so continue what you're good at and aim to become a knight to the royal family. Who knows, maybe you will succeed."

Knight? Royal family? This is just like the medieval times! But more importantly, Louise just gave me an advice!

I stared at my plate and I gave a small smile before picking up the utensils and I tucked into the food. As what Louise said, I should start afresh. And to do so, everything starts from square one which is breakfast.

* * *

><p>Once the students had finished their meals, they got up from their seats and headed to the stairs while the second year students made their way to the entrance.<p>

For Louise, she and I were the last one to leave since she actually took her time to wipe her mouth. She got up from her seat and looked at me,"Let's go, Tadashi." She soon noticed my empty plate and smiled,"I see you took my advice. Good. Cause that's the only time I'm ever going to do so!"

Just when I was starting to warm up to her, she starts acting like a jerk again.

As we headed out of the compound, we found ourselves in the courtyard again. I soon saw that the students were all sitting down on chairs while they had tables for either letting their Familiars rest on them or for their food or drinks."Master, what's everyone doing? Aren't you suppose to be in class?"

Louise shook her head,"All second year students have the day off today. We're all supposed to bond with all our freshly-summoned Familiars. After all, Familiars stay with their masters for life. So they have to get along with their master or their lives would be bitter and sour."

"Sort of like us, right?"

"Yes..." Louise grumbled."But you promised to start afresh right? So today, we will restart from the beginning."

"Oh?"

We turned to see who was it behind us. instead of seeing a human, I saw a giant orange lizard creature with a flame ignited at the tip of its tail. Beside it, was its master, Kirche. Even if it looked terrifying, I found it quite interesting. I bent down and patted the creature with a hand and it hissed which also sounded like a purr. Kirche smiled,"Is it the first time you've seen a salamander?"

"Quite a wonderful creature it is."

Kirche smiled,"He's perfectly safe too. Under the contract, Familiars obey any order from their masters. And they never get into a fight with their masters too. Right, Flame?" The salamander gave a purr and a swing of his tail before Kirche shot Louise a smirk and I heard the pink-haired girl grumble.

Louise just looked away,"It's none of your business, Kirche!"

The redhead then stood back up,"You know, Louise, I think you just hired this Noble and pretended to summon him. You covered up your plan well with that explosion."

"No. I did the summoning properly! It just so happens that he was summoned." Louise cried.

Kirche shrugged,"Well, he's a perfect match for you, Louise the Zero." Then, she started laughing as she walked away with the salamander following her from behind.

"What's wrong with that woman?!" Louise growled as she clenched a fist. Then, she turned to me and yelled,"Don't just stand there! Bring me some tea or something!"

I sighed as she left to find somewhere to sit and I headed towards the second year students.

As I walked passed everyone, I was stopped by the same floating eyeball from yesterday and it made me jumped, causing me to crash into the person behind me. The eyeball laughed and flew away. if I see that eyeball again...it will wish that it had never messed with me. I soon got up and turned to help the person behind me. Once I caught a glimpse of that person, I realized that she was Siesta, the maid from last night.

"Oh, Siesta. It's you."

The maid gave me a smile as I helped her up. Then, she spoke,"I see you and Miss Vallière have made up."

"Not really. She just went back to her bratty self moments ago. Hey Siesta, do you think you can get her some tea? She just got angry at a rival of hers or someone like that."

Siesta nodded,"Of course. But I have to deliver this cake to that Noble over there..." She pointed over to a Noble, whom I recognized as Guiche from last night. Only now he was with the same girl that I saw with him when I was summoned and not the girl from last night. Katie, was it? Oh ho~ This is my chance to expose my first gossip of this world.

I turned to Siesta and said,"I'll deliver it to him. You can help me with that tea. Besides, I have something I need to talk to him about." Siesta gave me a confused look before nodding and handing me the cake before she left to get Louise's tea. This is going to be worth it!

**He he he. I can tell that you're becoming sinister right now.**

As I made my way over to them, I noticed that Guiche's Familiar was a giant mole while the girl he was talking to had a small frog that repeatedly shot out its tongue to form a heart.

I placed the cake on the table and without looking at me, Guiche spoke,"Bring me seconds on tea too." I slowly moved away as I continued to here their conversation.

"Your Familiar Spirit really resembles you in how cute it is." Guiche had told the girl.

The girl just giggled as she stroked the frog's head,"You flatter me like always."

"I never lie to your eyes." There it is. The sentence that confirms that he was a two-timer. Time to put my plan into action!

"But recently, I heard a rumor that you're starting to date a first year." The girl spoke to Guiche.

Guiche flinched at this and he quickly replied back,"Nonsense. There's never a..."

"...hidden side of my affection for you."

Both Guiche and the girl turned to see me holding my Delta Mover in my hands. I gave Guiche a smirk that made him shiver. I guess he realized that I could spill the beans about him.

"That's weird. I could have sworn that I heard your voice coming from Louise's Familiar." The girl spoke with a confused tone. It was true, I had replayed the part where Guiche spoke that line from last night. The plan was going perfectly. All I needed to do now was to expose him.

I walked over to the two of them and Guiche started shaking when I looked over to the girl. I gave a smile as I placed the Delta Mover on the table.

"What kind of contraption is this?" The girl asked.

I pressed the play button and on the Delta Mover's screen was a replay of what I had recorded last night. Oh, did I mention that the volume was on?

As the video continued, I glanced over to Guiche, who was totally frozen in his spot by now after he had heard the video as well as seeing the shocked expression on the girl's face. When the video ended, I took back the Delta Mover and the girl was furious at that point.

"Guiche..." The girl grumbled.

"M-Montmorency..." Guiche stuttered.

This was getting good. All I needed now was...

"Sir Guiche!" A voice chimed in. There she was! It looks like my plan went perfect. Katie had arrived just when the video finished."I've been searching for you, Sir Guiche! I thought I'd bring the soufflé that I was talking about last night for tea-time."

"Ah...well..." Guiche failed to find the right words. Oh~ He's going to get it now!

"So that contraption that Louise's Familiar had was telling the truth all along." The girl, Montmorency growled.

"You see..." Guiche started off but I interrupted him with the Delta Mover by repeating a line of his.

"I'd love to have a taste of that."

Guiche was now in trouble. Two girls, both think that Guiche never lied to them, were now enrage.

"That contraption is spilling lies! You're making these ladies get the wrong idea."

Before we knew it, a crowd had gathered.

"What's going on?" A student asked.

"Guiche's doing something with that Noble Familiar of Zero's." Another student replied. This was getting interesting. I guess I should also start talking too.

"Do tell what's the wrong idea you're talking about. It's your fault for double dating."

I guess I did it for that one. My first public speech in this world had made Guiche froze in place as he was approached by Katie and Montmorency.

"Double dating?"

"So you did lay your fingers on this first year!"

"P-please, Montmorency. Please don't distort your rose-like face with anger. This is some kind of mistake, and..."

"You're horrible! You said that I was the only one you loved!"

Guiche swallowed hard. He was in serious trouble now."Anyway, both of you calm down..."

"You liar!" Both the girls cried as they each gave a tight slap on Guiche's left cheek. Then, they left as the crowd laughed.

"You got dumped, Guiche! Well, you deserved it."

Guiche got up from the ground and growled as he looked towards me with fury in his eyes."Looks like you don't know who you're dealing with."

"Well, I never really understood all this since I was never really from Tristain."

"Oh?" Guiche spoke with a surprised tone before he put on a sinister grin and took out a rose from his cloak,"Then in that case, I hereby challenge you to a duel! You, a Noble turned Familiar, have insulted me! And above all, you made two ladies cry!"

"Cry? They were mad!" I received laughter from the crowd as they agreed with me.

Guiche gritted his teeth as he pointed the rose at me,"You'd better be ready! I'll wait for you at Vestri Court."

As he left, I gave a sigh of relief. Well, there's one two-timer down. Who's next? At that moment, I felt someone grab my hand and it turned out to be Louise."What do you think you're doing?!" She started to drag me away from the courtyard."What do you think you're doing accepting a duel? I know I told you that I would let you fight since you enjoy it but not like this! We're going to Guiche so you can apologize to him. He might still forgive you."

"No." I plainly stated as I removed my hand from her grip."Louise, I picked a fight with him for a reason. And for me to apologize to him shows that I have not learn anything when I was still back in my world. That's why I accepted the duel. I want to show you, Louise, just what I can do!"

Louise shook her head,"No. You're going to apologize to him and that's an order from me, Tadashi! I won't let you battle him. He's a Noble who _can _use magic. You, on the other hand, look like a Noble but you can't cast a single spell. What chances do you have against Guiche?"

"I have fought for my life, Louise. A simple magic trick isn't enough to stop me." I stated before walking in the direction that Guiche walked off to.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, Professor Colbert entered the room of the school's Headmaster. After much research he had made on the rune on Tadashi's hand, he figured that it was best if he told the Headmaster about it.<em>

_"Old Osmond!" Professor Colbert cried as he entered the room._

_"Yes?" Osmond asked._

_"Headmaster, I have big news to report! It's about the Familiar that Miss Vallière had summoned."_

_Osmond's seriousness kicked in as he gestured his secretary, Miss Longueville, to leave the room for the time being."What is the problem with that Noble Familiar Spirit?"_

_"Osmond, yesterday, as I inspected that Familiar's rune. I found out that it wasn't like the usual ones we've seen. But this one was somewhat...unique. Last night, I did some research and found a match to that rune. Here it is..." He placed the book he had read last night in front of the Headmaster, who gasped._

_"This...this can't be."_

* * *

><p>By the time I had reached Vestri Court, there was already a crowd of all three of the school year students surrounding Guiche. They gave way for me to enter and I was soon face to face with Guiche within seconds.<p>

"I commend you for not running away." Guiche spoke.

I smirked,"Who'd run away from you? Besides, I've always hated men with snobby attitudes. This could just be like a training session for me."

"Wait!" Louise's voice chimed.

She soon ran up to Guiche and spoke,"Guiche, cut it out. Duels are prohibited between Nobles."

"I know. But I think he should be taught a lesson about upsetting girls."

"I told you before, they were mad at you." I received more laughter from the crowd as they, again, agreed with me.

"Whatever you may say, Louise, the duel has already started!" With a wave of his rose, a petal fell onto a ground and a pillar of light shone upwards before a golem-like creature with bluish-green armor and a lance appeared before me."My name is Guiche de Gramont, otherwise known as, Guiche "The Bronze"."

This was getting exciting! I hadn't felt this much energy since I had my first fight with an Orphnoch.

**Tadashi, show him. Show him the power of Delta!**

I smirked as I removed my robe, revealing my SMART BRAIN uniform, which caused everyone to gasp."Well, Guiche "The Bronze", now that you've chosen to continue, I guess I have no choice but to show you who I am as well. I am fighter of Justice! I am...Delta!" I pulled out my Delta Phone and smiled,"Henshin!"

_**- Standing By! -**_

As the Delta Phone sounded off, I was given whispers and chatters from the crowd as I inserted the Delta Phone back into the Delta Mover and the two pieces connected.

_**- Complete! -**_

Then, it was followed by a series of beeping tones and a more computerized voice repeated my earlier command.

_**- Henshin! -**_

I was soon clad in my Delta armor, surprising everybody and even Louise. This was it, the moment of truth, the moment that I've been waiting for!


	3. Chapter 3: History of the Orphnoch

**Chapter 3: History of the Orphnoch**

**A/N: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen rider or Familiar of Zero but I do own the main Orphnoch of the story.**

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><p><strong>Response to reviewers:<strong>

**Cyber Drakonian: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Kamen Rider Zodiac: I appreciate your compliments. I hope you will keep on enjoying this story!**

**Mr Always-Bad-Grammar: Tadashi will be getting his own vehicle. But I wouldn't want to spoil when he will get them. Also, I have introduce Delta's personal vehicle. Hope you'll like it.**

**Ali al-Saachez: Thank you. I hope you'll enjoy this as well!**

**Guest: Even if Saito were to appear, he would die since the Kaixa Gear only allows Orphnochs to use it, unlike the Faiz and Delta Gear.**

* * *

><p><em>"Whatever you may say, Louise, the duel has already started!" With a wave of his rose, a petal fell onto a ground and a pillar of light shone upwards before a golem-like creature with bluish-green armor and a lance appeared before me."My name is Guiche de Gramont, otherwise known as, Guiche "The Bronze"."<em>

_This was getting exciting! I hadn't felt this much energy since I had my first fight with an Orphnoch._

_**Tadashi, show him. Show him the power of Delta!**_

_I smirked as I removed my robe, revealing my SMART BRAIN uniform, which caused everyone to gasp."Well, Guiche "The Bronze", now that you've chosen to continue, I guess I have no choice but to show you who I am as well. I am fighter of Justice! I am...Delta!" I pulled out my Delta Phone and smiled,"Henshin!"_

_**- Standing By! -**_

_As the Delta Phone sounded off, I was given whispers and chatters from the crowd as I inserted the Delta Phone back into the Delta Mover and the two pieces connected._

_**- Complete! -**_

_Then, it was followed by a series of beeping tones and a more computerized voice repeated my earlier command._

_**- Henshin! -**_

_I was soon clad in my Delta armor, surprising everybody and even Louise. This was it, the moment of truth, the moment that I've been waiting for!_

* * *

><p>By the time the blinding light from my armor had vanished, I could already see the shocked faces of the Nobles around me but Guiche had them all beaten with that look on his face. He looked as if his nightmare had just became reality and that twitching eye of his made it more amusing.<p>

"No way! Is he a mage knight?!" A student cried.

"He must be a high ranking one too to be able to customize his armor like that." Another replied.

I flicked one of my wrist and spoke,"What's wrong, Guiche? Do you want to call quits?"

Guiche snapped back to reality and he glared at me,"You may have caught me off guard with that armor of yours, but that's not going to save you from what I have in mind!" He snapped his fingers and the golem-like creature stood proudly."My Valkyrie shall teach you a lesson for messing with me and upsetting those girls!" With a wave of his rose, the Valkyrie lunged towards me with its lance targeted at me.

A sigh escaped my mouth."You know, I hate repeating myself. So I'll just say this one last time. It is your own fault for double dating!" The Valkyrie swung its lance towards me and I grabbed it before it could collide with my armor."And if you think that hiding behind a female golem is going to save your ass, think again!" I brought the lance down and clenched my fist before slamming it into the Valkyrie's face, smashing the bronze golem's entire face to bits of rock.

Shocked gasps from the crowd were heard as I dusted my fist.

"Unbelievable! He destroyed that golem in a hit!"

"He must be a very powerful mage knight!" The hell is a Mage Knight now? First, it was a mage and now, it's a mage knight. What else could there be? For gods's sake, I can't even cast a spell!

Guiche was still in a rage. He gritted his teeth as he madly swung his rose, dropping six of its petals onto the ground as six Valkyries emerged."I will not be humiliated in front of these people! Everyone has their limits. let's find out how many Valkyries does it take to defeat you!" He waved his rose and the Valkyries all lunged at me.

I heard gasps from Louise at that point. I am going to enjoy my time messing with this Guiche. This battle will surely prove that I'm a worthy wielder of the Delta Gear. And if I win, I'm sure that would make everyone else know that Louise isn't a complete failure too. After all, a Familiar is chosen because he is perfect for his master.

One of the Valkyries landed a blow on my left shoulder. I stumbled back a little but it wasn't enough to hurt me. I simply dusted my shoulder and countered another Valkyrie's attack before disarming it by breaking both its arms off using my elbow. The Valkyrie fell on its back and I placed a foot on it before I pushed my foot down, creating a hole in the golem's chest.

Then, another Valkyrie attacked me from behind and I was knocked to the ground by it. Shit! I should have watched my back! Delta's armor was vulnerable from the back.

Guiche smirked,"I guess that limit is on your back. Valkyries, aim for his back!"

Damn...

The Valkyries complied to their master as they all surrounded me, forming a pentagon around me. This is also when I start to panic. I was surrounded and I'm not even guarded properly. I could get hit from any of their lances and it would be at my back no matter what.

A Valkyrie swung its lance and it made a direct hit. I fell to my knees before I was knocked onto my back by the Valkyrie in front of me.

"Tadashi!" Oh no...Louise was still watching.

Guiche chuckled,"Now who's the one to talk? Keep it up, Valkyries! Show this disrespectful boy that he has messed with the wrong Noble!"

The Valkyries all nodded as they raised their lances and swung them all down at me.

Everyone who was spectating this had looked away, hoping that they would not see the final blow that was upon me. But they looked up when they heard nothing. Again, they all gasped. Right now, I was holding off against five lances with only my arms to defend me.

Guiche was the most shocked of all."H-how d-d-did he do that?!" How did I do that? It was the most basic thing that could be taught about defense. These Nobles must be relying on magic for too long now.

"Is this all you have to offer?" I taunted."I guess I should wrap this up immediately."

I pushed the lances off of my arms and stood up. I immediately grabbed the Delta Blaster before Guiche could say anything,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

I aimed the Delta Blaster at the Valkyrie in front of me and fired three shots at it. I expected the golem to fall but instead, three holes were formed on its chest as it crumbled into pieces. I guess the Photon Blood contained more power than I thought if it was able to blast through bronze.

"What kind of wand is that?!" Guiche cried.

Oh, so now the Delta Blaster is called a wand? This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder!

I ignored Guiche's cry and blasted the remaining nine shots at the rest of the Valkyries. Two of the Valkyries managed to dodge my Delta Blaster's beams but the other two weren't so fortunate like the others.

As the two Valkyries crashed and fell into pieces, Guiche cowered in fear of me as he stuttered,"M-my Valkyries! D-d-defend me! Defend me from that savage that calls himself a Noble!" The remaining two golems nodded as they gathered in front of Guiche.

I sighed. This is getting ridiculous. I might as well finish this battle now. Raising my Delta Blaster towards my face, I spoke a command,"Check!"

_**- Exceed Charge!**_** -**

As a stream of Photon Blood entered the Blaster, I pulled the trigger and a series of beeping noise followed before a blue energy beam was fired, creating the same funnel-like projectile that slammed in between the Valkyries. It was time for Lucifer's Hammer! I leaped into the air and stretched out my right foot as I entered the projectile.

For a moment, the crowd had thought that I was crazy for trying to kick pass the Valkyries but I ignored them as I emerged in front of Guiche, who fell onto his butt at seeing me."Valkyries! Attack!" The Valkyries remained still the whole second and before Guiche could tell them another command, one of the Valkyries fell into pieces while the other lost one of its arms.

"Oh? Does it want to keep going?" I placed the Delta Blaster back onto my belt strap and swung a fist at the Valkyrie, destroying it instantly.

I looked back at Guiche and I grabbed him by his collar,"Do you surrender, Guiche? Or do you want to suffer a more horrible fate?"

"I yield! I yield! Please, don't hurt me!" Guiche whimpered. I dropped him and he crawled away faster than I could imagine.

Dozens of cheers were soon heard as I looked around. They seemed to be cheering for me. Well, couldn't blame for my victory. I gave a grunt of satisfaction as I took out the Delta Phone and a blinding light emitted from my armor as it vanished afterwards. I smiled at the Delta Gear. It seems that I've underestimated this piece of metal. I guess books can't be judged by their covers.

Louise walked up to me and she had her arms folded. She also had those eyes of hers glaring right at me."You better explain yourself about this mess!"

I sighed,"I knew I couldn't keep this a secret for too long. I'll explain everything. Once we get back to the dorm that is." I looked around and noticed that the crowd of students had already dispersed, which left me and Louise alone. But there was someone else here with us too.

"Tadashi!" I turned and saw Siesta smiling with glee."That's was amazing, Tadashi! The way you fought back against that Noble, it was just amazing!"

I smiled,"Thank you, Siesta. Now if you'll excuse us, I will need to explain to Louise all about who I really am."

As we both walked passed Siesta, it seems that she was following us.

"Why are you following us, maid?!" Louise demanded.

"Because I want to know more about Sir Tadashi." Siesta replied with what I think was a slight blush on her face. But more importantly, Sir Tadashi? Since when did that happened?

"Siesta, it's all right to just call me Tadashi. I'm no Noble. I'm just a Commoner like you."

However, the maid wasn't going to let that slide."That's not possible! That duel you just had with Sir Guiche, you displayed magic using that weird wand of yours. You are a Noble! And it's disrespectful of me to show any form of informal behavior towards you!"

"What? This?" I took out my Delta Phone and continued,"That wasn't magic. It's what the Delta Gear contains within itself."

"Delta Gear?" Both Louise and Siesta repeated.

I gave them both a nod as I placed it back on my belt,"Like I said, I'll explain everything later."

* * *

><p><em>"This is a rune that appears only on the legendary Familiar Spirit. And for the third born of the Vallière family to summon it...this involves the lost fragment of the Pentagon." Headmaster Osmond spoke as he faced Professor Colbert.<em>

_The professor gasped,"N-no way. Are you saying that Void Magic is involved in this?"_

_Osmond nodded."Whatever the truth of this case may be, it will not leave this room. Is that clear, Colbert?" The professor nodded and Osmond continued,"Good. Be sure to keep an eye on that Familiar as well. He may cause some havoc if he's not careful."_

* * *

><p>As we got into Louise's room, I sat back on the chair while Louise sat on her bed and Siesta sat beside me on the other chair.<p>

"I'm still waiting for that explanation, Tadashi. First, tell me who you really are. Then, tell me everything that I need to know about you." Jeez, did I get summoned by a Drill Sergeant?

"Well, you two know that I'm Tadashi. To begin from the start of my history, I came from my home world, Earth. And on Earth, I came from a country called Japan. But recently, a year ago to be exact, there has been a series of invasion by a force that had emerged; the Orphnochs."

"Yes." Louise spoke."You told me about the Orphnochs. But you didn't really tell me all about them. Just what are they?"

"The Orphnochs, they are creatures that were once humans. But the humans who become Orphnochs are, in reality, dead." I heard the two girls gasped at this and I continued.

"The Orphnochs are known as the next stage of evolution for humanity as they are much more stronger, tougher and faster but each of them have various other special abilities. They can be split into two different categories. The first category is the Original Orphnoch. They are humans who had suffered a violent death and their inner Orphnoch will emerged afterwards. This is what I call 'reborn'. The second category is the Sired Orphnoch. Unlike the Original Orphnoch, the Sired Orphnochs are humans who have been killed by Original Orphnochs or another Sired Orphnoch and survive by becoming a Sired Orphnoch themselves. However, the Sired are weaker compared to the Originals."

"Wait!" Louise cried. Both me and Siesta turned towards her as she continued,"You just said 'reborn'. Then that must mean that you're...you're an Orphnoch!"

Hearing this, Siesta gasped as she backed away from me. I just sighed as Griffon's markings appeared on my face before my body changed into Griffon's body. I turned my attention to Louise and Siesta and gave them a nod,"Yes. I am an Orphnoch. A Sired Orphnoch."

"Does that mean you were killed by an Orphnoch?" Siesta asked.

I nodded,"Yes. Right before I was summoned by you, Louise, I was killed on the spot by an Orphnoch. He was a tough opponent too. But don't worry. I won't attack anyone here. After all, I still have my humanity in tact." My body was immediately changed back into my human body and the two girls calmed down.

"Anyway, as I was saying, all Orphnochs have all of their five human senses enhanced to a superhuman level. They are able to hear, smell and see from great distances. They are also able to tune out background noise to focus their attention on their target. But the most well-known ability that the Orphnochs have is the ability to turn normal humans into Orphnochs. Though this has a low success rate, the Orphnochs still use this method to increase their numbers."

"But how do they do that? Do they only kill to increase?" Siesta asked.

I nodded,"Yes. They kill. But they usually stab you through the heart. If you have the potential to become your inner Orphnoch, you will become that Orphnoch. But if you don't, you would simply disintegrate into ash. There are two ways of doing so. The first is that the Orphnochs kill the humans using their weapons. The second is through long, skin piercing tentacles, which is also how I became an Orphnoch. The Orphnoch I faced did the second one and well, you know the rest."

"Can you do that now too?" Louise asked with concern.

Again, I nodded,"Yes. But I still have to learn it first. I just became an Orphnoch a day ago. Of course I would have trouble knowing what my powers are. The only power I currently know is the power to change between human and Orphnoch form. I have yet to discover my Hybrid form, which allows an Orphnoch to assume the form of the creature he or she is based on. For me, my Hybrid form will surely involve features of a griffon since I'm the Griffon Orphnoch."

"Then are you invincible? Can you not die?" Louise asked.

I nodded,"Yes, Orphnochs can die. But the only way that I know so far is that the Rider Gears are capable of destroying the Orphnochs."

"Is that belt of yours one of the Rider Gears that you're talking about?" Siesta asked.

"Yes. You see, they were once three Rider Gears. The Faiz Gear, the second one to be created. The Kaixa Gear, the third and most dangerous. And the third, my Delta Gear. The Faiz Gear held lesser power compared to the Kaixa Gear and Delta Gear but it has a much greater functionality and only Orphnochs are able to use it. The Kaixa Gear is known as the most dangerous one because of its characteristics. It was more powerful but slower and the consequence of using it is capable of killing humans who uses it after a battle."

"What about the Delta Gear?" Louise asked.

"The Delta gear was the first to be created by the Orphnochs. The Delta Gear gives the user more power and speed compared to Faiz and Kaixa. Besides that, it is the only Gear that allows humans to use it." I replied as I removed the Delta Gear from my waist and handed it over to Louise."Try it. I'm sure you can use its power."

Louise anxiously grabbed the Delta Gear and placed it on her waist. She looked around it,"So...how do you summon the armor?"

I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the Delta Phone,"Henshin!"

_**- Standing By!**_** -**

"There, just put the Delta Phone back into the Delta Mover and you're all set and ready."

Louise nodded as she did as I told her to. But the results were not what I expected...

_**- Error!**_** -**

Electricity sparked from the Delta Driver as the Gear ejected from Louise waist and she gave a yelp that knocked her back onto her bed. The Gear landed in front of my feet and I picked it up.

"Strange. I was certain that the Delta Gear allows humans and Orphnochs to use it. What could be wrong here?" Then, the belt started heating up and I dropped it onto the floor as markings similar to the ones on my hand appeared all around it.

"I think when I summoned you, that belt changed its only user to only you, Tadashi. Those are the same markings that you have on you. I guess I couldn't become that mage knight that you turned into just now..." Louise spoke with sadness in her tone.

As much as I would like to cheer at that theory, I decided that I won't make Louise feel more worse than she is now. I approached her and I gave her a smile,"Don't be disappointed, Louise. At least you still have me as your Familiar. And I have the Delta Gear with me, so that means that you are fully protected by me." Wait, did I just heard myself right? Me, protect the bratty girl? Why do these hormones insult me?! Ugh...the things I do for the opposite sex...

"Really?" Louise asked with her eyes still teary from being rejected by the Delta Gear.

I nodded,"Yes, I promise to protect you, Louise. As your Familiar and now, personal guardian. Think about it, everyone thinks I'm a so-called 'mage knight' which I'm clearly not since I can't use magic. But no one except the three of us knows about that. Everyone might even show you some respect now because of me. What do you say?"

Louise was silent for a while. I bet she's thinking about the deal I was offering to her.

**Wow. Just...wow. I gave you a deal which you haven't decide yet and here you are, giving your own deal to this brat.**

"Shut it, Griffon. I still have three days to decide. Besides, Louise needs my protection since she's the most mistreated girl in this school."

**Says the guy who wants to go back to Earth but can't. Look here, Tadashi. You are offering a lifetime protection to this brat but you are using my powers and body to do just that. But what if I were to take over if you don't decide? You would break your promise again. Just like how you broke your oath about not letting any human get harmed when you wore the Delta Gear.**

I was starting to regret being born right now. Why did I have to be stuck with this constant pain in the ass?

"Well, considering that you did beat Guiche in a duel, I guess...I could accept your deal." Louise finally spoke after a while. I knew she would. Who else would not want to have a bodyguard who's also using the power of the Delta Gear?

"You won't regret it, Louise." I replied as I placed Delta Gear back on my waist.

Louise waved it off and looked towards the window,"Now come. I still have class to attend. And as a Familiar, your job is also to accompany me there." Well, she's back to being a bossy brat.

Siesta got up from the chair as well,"I just remembered! I still have duties to attend to. It was nice knowing more about you, Sir Tadashi." I really wanted Siesta to understand that formality isn't really my thing but she had already left, leaving me with Miss Bossy.

Then, a bell rang and Louise spoke,"That's the bell. We have to get to class now."

As we made our way towards the class, Louise suddenly asked me a question,"Tadashi, could you possibly tell me more about that...contraption of yours?"

"It's call the Delta Gear, Louise." I replied."Well, when the Orphnochs started their invasion on Humanity, the city that I was living in was the first to be attacked. When the attack ended, most of the people had already became Orphnochs. All except me and a few others. During that time, I had received the Delta Gear. How I got it? Well, it seemed that luck had helped me. I found the Delta Gear on an Orphnoch who was asleep. When he wasn't aware of anything, I stole it and used the belt to destroy him."

Louise cringed,"You showed no mercy, did you?"

I shook my head,"It was actually revenge. That Orphnoch was the same one that had given me the scars that you see on me now. His claws nearly cost me my eyes but I was fortunate. After that, I used the Delta Gear to save some of the remaining human refugees in the city and then escaped when we were saved by the Human Liberation Troops, a group that has been formed to protect the remaining humans left on Earth. But on the day you summoned me, I was betrayed but the leader of my group. He tried to save himself by telling the Orphnochs what I was going to do and he still died anyway."

"W-what were you doing a-a-anyway?" Louise stammered.

I sighed,"Well, the Human Liberation Troops have been hearing rumors of belts called the 'Emperor's belts'. The rumors were true too. I've seen the belts with my own eyes. There were two belts. The first was the Psyga Gear, the same Gear that I lost to. That Orphnoch that killed me was the user of the Psyga Gear. He was strong. But now that I'm here, I'm not so sure if the humans stand a chance."

"So what about the other two Gears you said?"

"The Kaixa Gear is in safe hands with its user but I'm not so sure about the Faiz gear. I heard that Faiz was assaulted by the Orphnochs in an all out attack that may had end in Faiz's demise. I'm afraid Faiz is not going to be helpful to the humans. But I have strong hope that Faiz is still alive and he is helping the humans."

We soon reached the classroom, all eyes in the room was then on me. Have they ever heard about personal space?

As I sat beside Louise in an empty seat, my enhanced ears started hearing the conversations behind us.

"What kind of family do you think he's from?"

"I don't know. But I'm sure his family must be quite well known for him to reach the highest rank of the mage knight. Maybe he's connected to the royal family."

"Speaking of that mage knight, his armor was something. Not a single knight has break through bronze armor before. He might be from another country's royal family!"

The same conversation about me and my 'family background' went on until a brown haired woman wearing purple robes, which meant that she's a teacher, entered the room. She soon noticed me and smiled before she introduced herself to me. Apparently, she is called Miss Chevreuse, a newly appointed teacher in the Magic Academy. She's also a mage who specializes in Earth magic and she is known as Chevreuse the Red Moon. I wonder why...

Afterwards, she proceeded to explain whatever she is talking about. Probably about those four elements which Louise told me about. Miss Chevreuse had also talked about the Earth element and how important it was to the society since it is involved in the revitalization of all things. Those were long lectures, unfortunately...

Then, before I was going to doze off, she pulled out three stones and placed them on the table. The teacher looked up at Louise and called her out, much to the class's protests,

Miss Chevreuse cleared her throat and she calmly spoke,"Class, I know that you all disagree with me about letting Miss Vallière demonstrate after what happened yesterday. But I have faith in the girl that she can perform it since she has already been able to summon a Familiar."

"It was just luck!" Kirche cried.

I was starting to get interested in this. What could possibly make the whole class go against Louise just so that she could not do a simple magic trick?

"I'll do it!" Louise cried while everyone on the room gasped in shock. As Louise approached the table, despite the protests, she stood in front of the table as the rest of the class scattered to the back of the room and even hid below the tables. What could Louise possibly do to make them cower like this?

"Louise, stop it before it's too late!" Kirche called out.

However, Louise didn't bother to say anything. She faced the stones on the table and she started chanting the spell.

I felt a tug on my sleeve and I turned to see Kirche standing behind me."Darling, I suggest you get under the table with us or else you'll end up unconscious." It was that serious?! What did I get myself into this time?

The stones on the table started to glow and I immediately took out the Delta Phone,"Henshin!" I wasn't going to risk my new life.

_**- Standing by!**_** -**

I quickly inserted the Delta Phone into the Delta Mover and the two parts connected .

**_- Complete!_ -**

The blinding light appeared and I was clad in the Delta suit, just in time to see a giant explosion unfold before my eyes.

Wait a minute, this was just an alchemic spell but how in the world did it become a bomb explosion?! It was a good thing I had the suit on too. The smoke cleared and all I saw was a destroyed classroom that looked like something out of a disaster movie.

Louise stood up and I saw that her clothes were completely ruined at that point. There were a lot of patches on her uniform and cloak and there were more that I couldn't describe at all.

"That's why you should have never done that spell!" Kirche yelled as she got up from her hiding spot.

"It was just a screw up." Louise stated as she took out a cloth and wiped her face with it.

Kirche flinched,"You said that yesterday too..."

"Your success rate is still at zero! Louise the Zero!" Guiche shouted. Oh? That big mouth has gotten back his confidence, eh?

I looked towards the students and I pulled out the Delta Blaster and aimed it at Guiche, making him jump when he realized that. The boy then fell on his back as the blonde girl from before, Montmorency, was it? Anyway, that girl went over to help him up.

"I wonder how you even got such a Familiar when you yourself can't cast a simple spell!" Kirche cried again.

That was nearly crossing the line. I had to show them some warning. Raising the Delta Blaster close to my visor, I spoke the command,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

I fired the basic three shots at the table, scaring the students as the girls screamed while the boys, except Guiche, held out their wands at pointed them at me."Do you really want to do this?" I asked them as my finger rested against the trigger, awaiting the answer from the boys. They were about to feel the same humiliation that I gave Guiche.

"Stop, Tadashi." Louise voice rang in my ears. I turned to see that she had cleaned the marks off of her face with the cloth and she continued,"Tadashi, that was just a screw up I had. It's common. So just put it down." I had to follow her orders, she was my master. Wait, did I really just said that? Since when did I started calling her my master?

Anyway, I placed the Delta Blaster back onto the gun-holster on the belt strap. Hey, I just remembered something! I had completely forgotten about the Delta Mission Memory! I can't believe I had left it on the Delta Mover the whole time I had been in this world. Damn, I wonder how I could remember to do Lucifer's Hammer but not the Mission Memory. It was a good thing that it's still there.

I removed the Mission Memory and inserted it back in the Delta Driver as my Delta suit vanished within the emitted blinding light.

"Let's go, Tadashi. Class is over anyway." The bell instantly rang once she had finished her last words. Talk about perfect timing. I gave Louise a nod as I followed her out of the room after giving each of the students in the class a glare.

* * *

><p><em>Outside of the class, a cloaked figure stood proudly as he gave a snicker.<em>

_"So the Orphnoch King has finally arrived. Those markings are proof! I better tell the boss about this." The cloaked figure walked off and his shadow rose to the surface as it formed a third dimensional body. Seconds later, the darkness of the silhouette faded away to reveal an Orphnoch._

_This Orphnoch had the usual ash colored body with the same markings around its body. But its resemblance can be compared to a worm. It had barbwire-like features that covered his face and shoulder. The markings on its body was curved at the end of each line, a weapon rested in his hand and it was a long rod with a giant, curved blade that reached both ends of the rod._

_"Observe the Orphnoch King. He must prove his worthiness. Tonight, you will attack him and if he defeats you, he is indeed the King that all Orphnochs in Halkeginia have been awaiting." The cloaked figure spoke._

_The Worm Orphnoch nodded,"It will be done."_

_With a satisfied nod, the cloaked figure left while the Worm Orphnoch reverted his form into a third year student of the Academy. He smirked as he approached the compound after seeing Tadashi leave the room with Louise._


	4. Chapter 4: Delta's power

**Chapter 4: Delta's power**

**A/N: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen rider or Familiar of Zero but I do own the main Orphnoch of the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Response to reviewers:<strong>

**Kamen Rider Chrome: There will be shocks from other students. For Louise and Siesta's case, they were familiar with Tadashi so they didn't get scared by his Orphnoch form.**

**NoCreativity: Don't worry. Tadashi isn't the only one who can transform into Delta. The whole explanation will be in different chapters. And for Tadashi's Orphnoch form, I plan on having him use it after getting Derflinger. Also for the Orphnoch King thing, I'll let the chapter inform you on that. Another thing, Orphnochs won't be trying to steal the Delta Gear until the next chapter. So Tadashi will still be transforming into Delta for now.**

**Mr. unknow: After season 1, I'll be adding more hesei riders. But I'm not telling who it will be. It shall be a surprise.**

**FlashDevil: The Faiz Gear will make its debut in this story when the "Staff of Destruction" appears. Delta, of course, wouldn't be enough since its almost half of Halkeginia that are Orphnochs. The other Gears will be introduced soon as well.**

* * *

><p>As Louise and I entered Louise's room, she plopped onto the bed and held the pillow close to her face as she screamed into it,"Why can't I get that simple spell right?!"<p>

Seems like she's going to need some time alone for now. Great, thanks to those other students, Louise is probably losing her self-esteem. If I ever see any of them again, I will personally give them a good beat down!

**Oh? Am I hearing this right? Are you seriously going to do that? Last I checked, you nearly lost to Guiche because you left your back completely unprotected. All of those Nobles probably know that by now and they'll definitely aim for your back. Unless of course, they are complete morons or they didn't see the battle.**

"Quiet, Griffon! I'm not in the mood to deal with you now!" I screamed at him.

Griffon seemed amused by this. **Do be mad, Tadashi. You'll give in to your hatred sooner or later. Then, you'll finally accept my deal and we'll all live happily ever after. How does that sounds?**

"Do I have to repeat myself?" I threatened. I really wasn't in the mood to be having a conversation after seeing how much Louise has been going through before I got here. No wonder she's been acting like this ever since I was summoned. She has probably been bullied all the time in this school. Was her magic that bad? More importantly, does her family know about what's going on?

"Leave me alone, Tadashi." Louise spoke. I raised an eyebrow."Please go, Tadashi. I just want to be alone for now. Come back here tonight. And please, don't go around causing trouble. I had enough insults today already. So don't cause any trouble for me."

I gave her a nod as I left the room. Who am I to disagree with a moody girl? If a girl has a temper, it's best if you do as she says so there won't be any trouble. And explosions are something I, for once, had enough with.

* * *

><p>Since class had to be cancelled due to Louise's 'spell casting', the students were allowed to loiter around the Academy's compound, something which I find quite irresponsible of the teachers since schools that I've been to have always told me that loitering around is a bad thing.<strong><br>**

I laid down on the grass in the courtyard, the exact same place that I had landed when I came into Tristain.

There was something in my mind that was bothering me which I wanted to know. Why couldn't Louise transform into Delta? Her theory was that I can transform into Delta is because I was wearing it when I was summoned and the same markings I have are also on the Delta Gear, which may mean that only I can transform into Delta. I wasn't so sure about that theory. If only there were Orphnochs in this World. That way, I can hand the Delta Gear to one of them and find out if that theory is true.

But the only problem about that is that the Orphnoch might be able to kill me and then use the Delta Gear to destroy this place. I wasn't going to risk it.

Ugh! The heat from the sun is too unbearable! I had to remove my cloak because of the damn heat and I was still feeling the heat. I think I'll just take it as a endurance test. You might never know when it would come in handy. Besides, if there are deserts in this World, they might be extremely hot and this endurance test might help me.

However, I was soon interrupted. I opened my eyes and a shadow was in my way. It shifted aside so that I could get a good look at who it was. The figure was in fact a third year student. But he wasn't one of the students I have seen this morning at the dining room. His short, messy blonde hair shined in the scorching sun's rays and he sat beside me,"Hot day we're having, huh?"

I was feeling a bit suspicious about this student. All students should have been in the dining room this morning for breakfast. There wasn't a seat that was empty at the third year students's table. This student really isn't a student in this school at all. I figured he would attack if he knew what I was thinking so I have to play along with him.

"Yeah. It's burning today." I replied back to this 'imposter'. I feel like I'm in one of those movies I've seen back in Tokyo, only thing that's different is that this is the real deal.

The imposter smiled,"Where's your master? Aren't Familiars supposed to be at their master's side at all times?" What's this guy's game?

"My master wants to be alone for the moment. Why are you so interested?" I asked, trying to get more information about this guy.

He shrugged,"I just wanted to know, that's all." He got up and dusted himself before he walked away,"It was nice meeting you, Orphnoch..." Wait a minute! He knew I was an Orphnoch?! Shit! But more importantly, did Orphnochs exist in this place too?!

I took out my Delta Phone, ready to give the command. But as I turned around, he was gone. Damn it! How did he know about me being an Orphnoch?

**I have a couple of theories. One of it involves that maid who looks like she's Japanese.**

"You mean Siesta? So you think she's Japanese too, huh?"

**Yeah. She seems to have that familiar human scent that only humans on Earth have. The humans on this World have a completely different scent compared to the humans we know, Tadashi. Anyway, I think that imposter might have heard that you were an Orphnoch when you explained yourself to Louise and Siesta. The second theory I have in mind is that we have an Orphnoch in the school.**

My eyes widen."What?! If a student has died, wouldn't someone know about it by now?"

**I wasn't done you know. As I was saying, this Orphnoch must have sneaked into the Academy and stole a third year student's clothing. If that's the case, he must have recently entered the Academy. Keep your eyes open, Tadashi. He might try and jump you from behind.**

"Thanks for the tip, Griffon. I guess I have no choice." Again, I raised the Delta Phone close to my face and gave the command again,"Henshin!"

_**- Standing By!**_** -**

I inserted the Delta Phone back into the Delta Mover and the two pieces connected.

_**- Complete! -**_

Then, it was followed by a series of beeping tones and a more computerized voice repeated my earlier command.

_**- Henshin! -**_

A flash of blue light glowed from the Delta Mission Memory and the light surrounded my body, forming the Photon Streams. Once the light vanished, I was soon in a black bodysuit while bits of armor were formed around my shoulders and chest with the Photon Streams attached as well. I was also seeing through an orange colored visor. Yet again, I was in my Delta suit.

**Tadashi, make the deal now. You might need my powers to find this imposter. **

"You gave me three more days to decide, Griffon. I'm not going to give you my answer until the last day comes. So just keep quiet and let me find this Orphnoch on my own." As Griffon's presence faded from my mind, I cracked my knuckles. This imposter is going to get a full course meal when I find him.

* * *

><p><em>Outside of the Academy's walls, the same vehicle that has been observing Tadashi ever since he arrived in Tristain was resting in the same area. It had witness the Orphnoch talking to Tadashi, raising its suspicion.<em>

_A compartment at the side of the vehicle opened up and five tiny bee-like machines flew out of the compartment as the vehicle revved its engine before driving off again while the bee-like machines flew towards the Academy._

_The vehicle was about to meet its partner soon._

* * *

><p>When I arrived at the Academy's dormitories, I was greeted by the stares of the male students. This must be the male's dormitories. Great, just what I need right now, arrogant pricks with temper.<p>

"It's that mage knight again."

"Why is he in armor? Is he looking for another duel or something?"

I ignored their chattering as I walked passed each and everyone of them. My visor was certainly doing some work here. It seems my visor was able to identify the imposter's footprints. I looked down at my hand and I saw that my rune was glowing. Wonder what that means.

**Tadashi, the tracks look fresh. That imposter must have come through here. See if you can find out where he's hiding. Just follow the golden footprints and we'll be fine.**

How did Griffon know all this?

**You must have not read the instruction manual about the Delta Gear, huh?**

Wait, there's an instruction manual?!

***Sigh* I guess you really are still a rookie at this. No wonder you're using the Delta suit wrongly. Anyway, your visor is call the Ultimate Finder. It grants you the ability to have Delta's incredible night vision and well, it helps you to locate targets via footprints. You should have known that a long time ago. I was guiding you the whole time because I used the Ultimate Finder to locate the tracks belonging to the imposter. Perhaps you need training.**

"Don't test my patience, Griffon. I may be new at becoming Delta but I can still use it in battle."

**I don't think getting weakened by a bronze statue is call fighting, Tadashi.**

He's got me there. I nearly lost to Guiche's Valkyries. I had pure luck on my side back there. But luck wasn't going to be with me forever. I guess getting training from an ancient bodyguard wouldn't hurt.

**Hey, I find the word 'ancient' a little offensive. I'm not that old. But never mind that for now. We have an imposter to hunt down.**

One day, I'm going to shut that beak of his. Even if he is a part of me.

As I followed the footprints, I soon bumped into someone. I looked up at the person and groaned. Who do you think might have bumped into me? You guessed it, Guiche himself. For a moment, there was silence between us. Then, Guiche realized that it was me and he began to panic. He was shaking all over in fear of me. His mouth opened but no word came out from it.

**Leave him, Tadashi. We have no time for this. Get going!**

I complied to Griffon's demands and passed Guiche, who was still shaking even after I had left. I sighed. Who knew he was such a wimp. If only he would man up a little, then maybe I would show him some respect. What a waste...

Then, I started hearing buzzing. I looked around and saw nothing. What could possibly make those noise? I was curious too since the noise was starting to get louder.

**Tadashi, look! What's that?**

What was Griffon talking about. I turned and nearly jumped. Right in front of my eyes was a mechanical bee-like machine and behind it were four more identical ones.

One of the machines got closer to me and it beeped a few times before it flew off towards the end of the corridor. I guess it wants me to follow it. But before I took a step, my visor started to glow and a four digit number appeared on it.

"5-0-6-3? What's this suppose to mean?" I asked.

**It's a Command Code. But why haven't I heard of it before. Try it, Tadashi.**

I shrugged. I guess I have no other choice. I removed the Delta Phone from the Delta Mover and pulled the trigger as I gave the Command Code,"5-0-6-3!"

_**- S.W.A.R.M Bees, Engage Scouting!**_** -**

S.W.A.R.M? I didn't hear anything about that. In fact, I never even knew SMART BRAIN created such a thing. I should really read that instruction manual when this is all over.

The machines then split up and headed in different directions while one of them remained with me. I made my way towards the machine and it landed on the tip of my finger,"What's wrong, little guy? Why aren't you going with your buddies?" It replied with a series of beeps and the antenna above my visor started receiving some sort of message. Probably from the machine.

The message started appearing on my visor and it became clear of what the machine was saying: My orders: Follow Delta's commands. Never leave his side.

**Looks like this thing is our Familiar. Now we know how this Nobles feel when they have their Familiars.**

Never thought I say this but Griffon was right. I kind of feel proud that I have my own Familiar or should I say Familiars. After all, these machines obey the command I gave so they are my Familiars. I wonder how many S.W.A.R.M machines are there. But what is S.W.A.R.M anyway? Is it part of SMART BRAIN? There were many questions flowing in my mind right now and who's going to solve them? Me, I suppose.

* * *

><p><em>As Louise got up from her bed, she looked around and noticed that her Familiar wasn't in the room. She then slapped her forehead and groaned,"Ugh...how can I forget? I allowed my Familiar to wander around the Academy. He better be back by night or I'm going to have to punish him."<em>

_She slowly got out of the bed and changed into a new uniform before heading out of the door. She stopped behind it and took a deep breath,"I'm doing this just because I want to make sure he doesn't get into trouble. I'm not doing this because I'm worried about him." Louise turned and closed the door before running off towards the courtyard._

_Unknown to her, Worm Orphnoch had been listening to everything._

_The Orphnoch chuckled to himself as he emerged from behind a corner."So that Orphnoch is indeed a Familiar. That embarrassment of an Orphnoch will never become the King." He clenched his fist and slammed it into the wall beside him, creating a hole."I swear by these fists, I shall be the Orphnoch King!" Then, the Orphnoch's body slowly changed into its human form and a smile crept onto his face._

_His weapon faded away as he put on his cloak. Then he felt another presence behind him and turned to see the cloaked figure from before._

_"What are you trying to do? Are you planning to defy my orders?" The figure asked._

_Worm rolled his eyes,"He is a Familiar! Orphnochs who serve humans are an embarrassment to us all. I am just trying to protect the Orphnoch pride that we all share and to do that, I will retrieve the Delta Gear and become the Orphnoch King instead."_

_"You do not have the potential, Worm." The figure replied._

_"What do you know? I am much more prepared than that Familiar! I am ready to become the Orphnoch King!" Worm protested as he glared at the figure._

_A laugh came from the figure as spoke,"The soul of the Orphnoch King is been said to present itself to an Orphnoch who has the potential to become the new King. In the history of the Orphnochs, the King's bodyguard has always followed the King without question. It is said that the bodyguard has the power equivalent to the King himself. But if you were to defeat the bodyguard, you might become the King..."_

_"In that case, I will defeat him! Who is he?" Worm interrupted._

_The figure's glowing eyes glared at the Orphnoch,"I wasn't done, you impatient fool!" The Orphnoch flinched and the figure continued,"As I was saying, you might become the King but the problem is that it has never been proven because Orphnochs in ancient times have yet to discover the location of the bodyguard, until now. Because the bodyguard has come to us."_

_"So who is he then?" Worm asked._

_"The failure of an Orphnoch that you speak of, Tadashi. Better yet known as Delta. But if you were to call him in his formal title, Griffon Orphnoch, bodyguard of the original Orphnoch King." The figure replied._

_Worm laughed,"Are you serious?! I could destroy him in seconds! Just give me the entire night and I will prove to you that I have the potential to become the new King."_

_This time, the figure laughed,"We shall see, Worm. You better get going too. Night is about to arrive." __Nodding, Worm walked off and the figure took out a stopwatch. Then, he pressed the top button and the ticking started as the stopwatch's hand started moving."Time start. We shall see how long it will take for you to die, Worm. No one can defeat the Orphnoch King's bodyguard by boasting or showing off."_

_Resting on top of a small crack in the wall, one of the S.W.A.R.M bees had recorded the entire thing. Its wings emerged from its metallic back and it took off towards Tadashi's location._

* * *

><p>It's been nearly an hour since the S.W.A.R.M bees came to me and I have found no trace of the imposter at all. By the time the two moons came into view, night had fallen and four out of five S.W.A.R.M bees had returned to me while the last one was no where to be found.<p>

"Where could that last one be at?" I muttered to myself. Then, I looked down at the remaining four and spoke,"You guys did well. Found anything?" The four mechanical bees shook their heads and I sighed,"It was a good attempt. All of you must be tired. Go back to where you came from. I'll call you when I need your assistance again."

The S.W.A.R.M bees nodded and took off into the night sky, leaving me wondering where the last one had went. Could the imposter have found out about that last one and destroyed it? Or did it lose power and might have shut down?

As I was thinking about it, I felt a tap on the back and I turned to see Siesta standing in front of me with a smile."Good evening, Sir Tadashi."

I sighed,"Siesta, please just call me Tadashi. I don't like that formality thing that you have to do in front of a Noble."

"I can't. It's dis..."

"Disrespecting to Nobles, I know. But I am no Noble. I am a Commoner like you. I just have the power of an Orphnoch and the Delta Gear to help me that's all." That's when I remembered about the imposter."Siesta, I have to ask you something."

Siesta nodded and I continued,"Siesta, did you happen to tell anyone about my secret?"

Shaking her head, Siesta replied,"No. I haven't told anyone about it. Why? Did something happen?" That confirms it. There's an Orphnoch in the Academy.

"Oh, it's nothing Siesta. I just wanted to know."

The maid smiled,"Well, I was just wondering if you are feeling hungry because if you are, there's food in the kitchen and the head chef would be pleased to have you in there. After all, he has heard about your victory over Guiche and I managed to convince him that you were a Commoner and not a Noble."

"Wait, didn't you say that you consider me as a Noble? When did you switched that?"

"After I saw you put on that armor of yours." Siesta replied.

I sighed. I guess I could use a break as well. As I removed the Delta Phone, a glow emitted from my suit as it faded away with the glow."Sure. I think I'll just grab a bite." Siesta smiled as she took me by my hand and we both headed towards the Academy's kitchen.

When we got to the kitchen, I was quickly introduced to the head chef, Marteau. He seemed to be quite a nice guy. After I was introduced, I was immediately given the title "Our Sword" by Marteau for being a Commoner who won a duel against a snobby Noble boy which is what he called Guiche and I agreed to that. I also have to admit that for a chef, he has one killer pat on the back. If I wasn't careful, I might be seeing the inside of the kitchen wall.

After my wonderful "leftovers meal", Marteau approached me and asked about the Delta Gear which Siesta didn't inform him about. I explain to him whatever I knew about the Delta Gear, excluding the knowledge that I was an Orphnoch. I couldn't just bring myself to scare the person who made such delicious food with my secret.

But after a while, I finished my explanation about the Delta Gear and Marteau seemed to be impressed,"Incredible! A magic armor that allows Commoners to use its powers. You're a lucky boy finding such an incredible artifact. It's just sad that it only allows you to use it."

I was still confused about the Delta Gear's new function on who was able to use it so I went with what had happened with Louise when she tried to transform. Why was it that the Delta Gear wouldn't allow Louise to transform?

After a while, I decided to head back to Louise's dorm. I was sure that she would be mad now since I came back quite late. She probably thinks that I was causing trouble for sure.

When I reached the door, I saw something glowing on it. I moved in to get a closer look and I saw the missing S.W.A.R.M bee resting on it. It's power must have been low after all. I picked it up and its antenna was glowing. I took out the Delta Mover and inserted the mechanical bee on top of the Delta Mover. Then, a video feed was transferred into the Delta Mover's screen.

The screen started showing Louise leaving the room and she was talking to herself saying that she was going to look for me so that I wouldn't make any trouble and that it was not because she was worried about him which really makes me wonder how she judges people. Then, as Louise left, an Orphnoch appeared.

**Tadashi, that's Worm Orphnoch! Didn't you defeat him back in our world after you received the Delta Gear?**

Griffon was half right. I did defeat that Orphnoch. But that was out of revenge. It was Worm Orphnoch who almost made me blind and here he is, alive and well in Halkeginia. But I could tell that this was a different Worm Orphnoch.

Then, a cloaked figure emerged into view and he and the Orphnoch seemed to be in a conversation. I increased the volume on the Delta Mover and I started hearing the conversation. As the conversation went on, I became speechless. Not because I wanted to listen to it, but because I was being insulted by the Orphnoch. But during that conversation, I also heard from the cloaked figure about the Orphnoch King and about me saying that I will become the vessel for the King.

**What a load of crap! There is no way in hell that I would ever betray my role as the Orphnoch King's bodyguard! Saying that I should harbor the very soul of my master means that I am betraying him. Tadashi, no matter what, you must not become the King.**

"Gee, I don't know what that means. Does it mean that you think I'm unworthy to even by the King?"

**No. You have already been chosen as my vessel to become the Orphnoch King's bodyguard. I would never betray my master in a lifetime. It's heretic to even think of trying to take the position as the King. Once an Orphnoch King is born, he will never die, only choose another host to be his vessel. That's from experience.**

"If you say so." Wait, did I just agree with an Orphnoch? Still, Griffon is still a part of me so I guess I could let that one slide.

Then, all of a sudden, a scream rang in my ears.

My eyes widen with realization and shock upon hearing the person who screamed. It was...Louise. That Orphnoch must have gotten to her!

**What are you waiting for? Go! That brat is going to be dead if you don't hurry!**

"I got that! Just hope that I'm not too late..." I muttered as I made a dash towards the courtyard, where Louise's scream came from.

* * *

><p><em>Louise stood in the courtyard with one hand on her waist and another on her forehead. She looked around the area before giving a quick sigh,"Where did that bird brain go to? He'd better not be dueling anymore Nobles or I'm going to have to confiscate that belt of his."<em>

_Then, a shove on her back made Louise drop to the ground on her side._

_"Yes. You should do that so I could take that belt as my own." Worm cackled as his smirked in his human disguise._

_Louise glared at the Orphnoch in disguise and gritted her teeth,"What's the matter with you! Don't you know who I am?!"_

_Worm laughed,"Who you are? You're just a failure of a Noble! I've seen your so-called "Spell casting" and I think explosions don't count as spells. You're nothing more than a disgrace to Nobles, not that I know about anyway."_

_"You'll regret saying that!" Louise cried as she took out her wand. Louise pointed it at the Orphnoch but he retaliated faster by slapping it out of her hand._

_"Don't make me laugh. Oh wait, I think I'm going to." Worm said before he held both hands close to his stomach and laughed as loudly as he could. After a moment, his laughter stopped as his mocking expression seized and only to be replaced by a look that may even scare off a dragon. His bloodshot eyes glared into Louise's own frightened eyes and he grabbed her by her collar._

_His weapon materialized onto his free hand and he held it close to Louise's chin._

_The pink-haired girl cringed in fear as the sharp blade of the weapon slowly traced along her chin, creating a slightly small cut that made Louise's blood drip. Seeing it, a wicked grin crept onto the Orphnoch's face as he leaned in and licked the blood off of her wound, making Louise flinched from the feeling of the Orphnoch's tongue._

_"Just how I like it. A sweet and warm feeling. It reminds me of how girls from other Noble families taste like. You are no exception, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. Your blood is at its finest quality." Worm whispered into her ear._

_Louise gasped,"No...it can't be. You're...you're the serial killer!"_

_Worm blinked,"Oh? You heard about me?"_

_"You're the Commoner who killed every Noble you see and you..you..." Louise stuttered._

_"I have to admit, it's flattering to know that even this Academy knows about me and how bloodthirsty I am. That's right, I crave the blood of Nobles. That is why I kill them." Worm replied as he licked his lips._

_"But why? Why do such a barbaric thing?" Louise asked._

_Worm shook his head,"Barbaric is just a light term of what I do. But it's because I want revenge on you Nobles..." He brought Louise closer to his face and leaned in closer to Louise's ear,"It's because of you Nobles, I lost someone I have always looked up to. You Nobles worked my father to death and then you killed him. My father was a hardworking man! All he wanted was to make a living so he could keep my family alive and well! But you Nobles were too selfish to even give him a little more money when he asked for it and you decided to execute him, in public nonetheless!"_

_He brought his weapon closer to Louise's face, he grinned,"But no more! Because ever since then, I vowed to kill every...single...Noble I find. And that __blood thirst, it's a habit I developed after seeing all the blood flowing out from all those dead Nobles. Not only that, I have acquired a new form of power even more superior to your magic!"_

_Tossing Louise back onto the ground, marks started appearing all over Worm's face before his Orphnoch body replaced his human body._

_After his transformation had ended, he looked towards Louise and the girl's body was immediately filled with fear as the Orphnoch approached her. Louise slowly backed away from the monster before her and she let out a scream._

_Worm laughed,"What's screaming going to do? No one is going to help you, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière. No one in this school will ever think of even coming out here to see this happening."_

_"Zero Louise! Will you keep it down?! I was trying to get Flame to sleep..." Kirche cried as she walked out onto the courtyard but she immediately stopped when she saw the Orphnoch._

_"I guess I was wrong." Worm sighed as he advanced towards Kirche._

_"Kirche! What are you doing?! Run!" Louise cried, only to be heard by no one. At that moment, Kirche was frozen with fear as her entire body was shaking from the sight of the Orphnoch that she dropped her wand when the Orphnoch was standing directly in front of her._

_Worm gazed at Kirche for a moment before he chuckled to himself as he grabbed a handful of Kirche's red hair,"Kirche Augusta Frederica von Anhalt Zerbst. What a pleasure to have you here with us. This is the first time I can kill the daughters of two most powerful Noble families in Halkeginia. With you two out of the way, things might be easier for me." _

_He yanked Kirche's hair and pulled her towards Louise, ignoring her cries of pain._

_As he dropped her beside Louise, the pink-haired girl tired to help her up but only to be pushed aside by Worm. He grabbed Louise by her neck and held her up in the air,"You are not allowed to move while I am in control. Understand?" Louise nodded in fear and the Orphnoch laughed before tossing Louise aside and attending back to Kirche."Now about you, what am I going to do with you?"_

_Worm traced his hand across the redhead's cheek and she looked away feeling embarrassed. Worm smirked,"oh? Is Kirche, the woman who seduces every man she sees, feeling embarrassed just because I touched you? Then why don't you feel embarrassed when other boys do the same?" He leaned in closer to the redhead and whispered into her ear,"You know, girls like you are just the same as any Noble I've come across. Thinking that you can own whatever you want. But now, things will change. Once I become the Orphnoch King, you shall feel what I have felt before all this was even possible!"_

_"So you are an Orphnoch!" Louise said as she tried to get up._

_The Orphnoch laughed,"Took you long enough to find out! But your Familiar won't be able to save you once I slit that throat of yours." He dropped Kirche and walked up to Louise. Then, he held the pink-haired girl up again and he brought his weapon closer to Louise's neck."Farewell, Louise the Zero!" Worm steadied himself as he swung his weapon._

_But then, bright beams assaulted his body, causing sparks to appear on him as he dropped Louise and his weapon before staggering back a few steps._

_"You...so you did come after all!"_

* * *

><p>"You...so you did come after all!"<p>

I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank god I made it just in time before Worm Orphnoch could think of killing Louise. I connected the Delta Blaster back onto the Gear's gun holster as I made my way towards Louise.

"Are you all right?"

Louise nodded and replied,"I'm okay. But that Orphnoch has Kirche. You're going to have to do something about it."

The Orphnoch laughed as he picked up Kirche from the ground and held her by her arm and spoke,"Do tell, Delta, how are you going to save this girl? If you think of transforming, I will slit this girl's throat at moment you take out that gun. So I suggest you think of an alternative." He held a claw close to Kirche's throat and she started panicking.

Seriously, when will any villain stop with the hostage thing? I'm pretty sick and tired of that old trick.

"Tadashi, you have to save her." Louise said."She may be apart of the Zerbst family but she's still my classmate and a student of this Academy."

I turned back to Louise and gave her a reassuring smile and a thumbs up,"Don't worry, Louise. I've been through this before. I won't let any human die on my watch."

As I faced Worm again, he still had his claw in front of Kirche's throat. All I have to do now is rely on my accuracy. This is going to be a tricky one. Kirche's face is dangerously close to Worm's face. One wrong shot and this could be it. Could I even do it? I have a feeling that this was going to end badly...

**Tadashi, believe in yourself.**

Is Griffon even right to trust me on this? If so, why?

**I know you can do this, Tadashi. I've never doubted you before. Who was the one who retrieved the Delta gear from the Worm Orphnoch back in our world? Who was the one who saved refugees from SMART BRAIN's clutches? If anyone can do this simple shot, I know it's you, Tadashi. Believe in yourself, believe my words and most importantly, have faith in the Delta Gear. It has those runes on it for a reason and it's because of you. So just take the shot!**

Griffon is right, I can do this!

"What are you just standing there for? I'm waiting for you to do something stupid here!" Worm cried irritably.

Taking a deep breath, I focus my sight on Worm and nobody else. My right hand twitched momentarily, waiting for the perfect moment. I had a plan going on in my mind and I wonder if it would work. I still have the last remaining S.W.A.R.M bee with me so it should work but the problem is will the voice command work if I were to do it. I will have to bet on it...

"5-0-6-3," I muttered under my breath. To my surprise, it did work!

_**- S.W.A.R.M Bees, Engage Scouting!**_** -**

The S.W.A.R.M bee on my belt strap activated instantly and it flew towards Worm, completely ignored by said villain. Instead, he had his eyes on me so that gives me an opportunity, if it succeeds.

Fortunately, it did. The mechanical bee buzzed around Worm's head and the Orphnoch had no choice but to try and swat my bee. I smirked as I immediately removed the Delta Blaster,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

Pulling the trigger, the Delta Blaster fired off a three shots at Worm, hitting directly at his right eye and his shoulder which caused him to lose his grip on Kirche and she quickly ran towards me and Louise.

"Here goes nothing..." I detached the Delta Phone and held it closer to me,"Henshin!"

_**- Standing By!**_** -**

**- Complete! -**

As I inserted the Delta Phone back into the Delta Mover and placing it back onto the gun holster, my transformation into Delta started with the familiar blue glow emitted from the Mission Memory. Once the transformation was done, my fingers twitched with excitement as I cracked my knuckles. This is going to be fun...

Worm stood back up and snarled at me with fury,"Damn you...Delta! I'll rip your head off for that!" Holding up a clenched fist, the Orphnoch charged towards me. He started off by thrusting his fist towards my direction but thanks to the Delta Gear's main characteristic, which I know of, my enhanced speed had managed to help me avoid the attack by dodging it.

"Hold still!" Worm cried as he continued his punches at me, which I successfully dodged. When he reached his sixth punch, I blocked his attack with my arm and I delivered a punch of my own, landing it on Worm's face. The Orphnoch stumbled back a few steps and I went to offensive.

I started off my own attacks with a jab to his chest followed by a kick to his stomach. As he fell onto his back, I took out the Delta Blaster,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

Again, I pulled the trigger. But somehow, Worm was able to dodge them this time. He rolled away from my shots and he retrieved his weapon, using it to block my remaining few shots. Then, he charged at me again but with his weapon raised. As he swung his weapon at me, I blocked it with my gauntlets and I lowered the blade of the weapon before I slammed my elbow onto it, destroying the weapon once and for all.

"I-impossible! No one has broken it before! Not even a Golem could destroy it!" Worm exclaimed.

Did he not know about Delta's enhanced power? I guess some things were well hidden within the Gears themselves.

Worm started to panic now that his weapon was destroyed. He looked around frantically looking for a way out of this mess. But too bad for him. Once an Orphnoch gets into a fight with me, I make sure that I prove my point of being a protector of Humanity. This Orphnoch isn't going to leave this place alive.

As I advanced towards him, Worm became desperate. He lunged at me and I threw a punch at him, landing it directly in the center of his face.

There was silence for a few seconds before Worm stumbled back again and sparks erupted from his entire body followed by a small amount of blue flames appearing around his head but it wasn't enough to destroy this guy.

"You should know, Worm, I am not going to let you leave this place alive. It's time that I finish this battle once and for all!" I could feel fear radiating from him as he desperately tried to crawl away as more flames erupted from his legs. I removed the Mission Memory from the Delta Driver and inserted it onto the Delta Blaster, causing three barrels to extend out from the front of the Delta Blaster. Then, its screen flipped opened and an image of Worm appeared on it and it was being targeted.

"Check!"

_**- Exceed Charge! -**_

A stream of Photon Blood was quickly transferred into the Delta Blaster and I pulled the trigger which was followed by the familiar series of beeping noise before the Photon Blood was fired from the Delta Blaster, creating a blue energy beam. It collided with Worm's back, stunning him afterwards. Then, the energy beam formed the funnel-like projectile.

I was filled with a lot of excitement right now. I was about to destroy my first Orphnoch in Halkeginia. This is going to my scrapbook after this.

As I leaped into the air, I stretched out my right foot as I approached the projectile. Then, my entire body was engulfed by a blue light similar to the Photon Blood that my suit had. After that, my body faded as I entered the projectile and I emerged behind the Orphnoch. I landed on my two feet and I turned back to see that Worm's body was already covered by flames but it wasn't the blue flames I usually see. Instead, it was red flames.

Then, a blue triangle appeared behind Worm followed by a glow in the middle of the shape before said Orphnoch exploded into flames.

**Red flames...Tadashi, you have finally mastered Delta!**

I did? I finally mastered the power of Delta? This is definitely an achievement that I will remember. I have finally mastered Delta!

Once the flames died down, I cancelled my transformation and my suit vanished in the form of a bright light. I instantly fell onto my knees afterwards. Man, who knew Delta could drain a guy like that or was it just me being overexcited?

Louise then approached me,"Tadashi! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Louise." I replied as I stood back up. The S.W.A.R.M bee returned to me and it landed on my finger. I gave the mechanical bee a smile,"Thanks for your help, little guy. You can go back now. I'll call you when I need your assistance again." The bee nodded as its wings started buzzing and it took off into the night sky. For a small robot like that, it sure can fly very fast.

"Are you going to be all right? I really think you should find someone who knows how to heal. You look completely exhausted."

"It's part of the job of being Delta, Louise. I've faced things much more worst." I was sure that was going to calm her down but instead, she began to cry.

Louise started hitting me softly,"You idiot! You idiot! What were you even thinking?! I could have lose you!" As she continued her sobbing, I looked back up at Kirche to see if she was all right. But when I did, I could have sworn she had a blush on her face but that might be my imagination since it was dark. Turning my attention back to Louise, her sobbing was subsiding and she soon looked back up at me.

A slight blush formed on her face as she tried to look away from me,"Promise me that you won't do anything so recklessly again."

For a moment, we stared into each other's eyes. I could see it in her eyes, loneliness. She has nobody who she can call her friend. I am all she has in this school and maybe even in this entire world. I know because I have been through it before.

I showed her a gentle smile,"Don't worry, Louise. I won't do anything like that again. After all, I am the Familiar of Zero."


	5. Chapter 5: Another Orphnoch!

**Chapter 5: Another Orphnoch?!**

**A/N: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen rider or Familiar of Zero but I do own the main Orphnoch of the story.**

* * *

><p><strong>Response to reviewers:<strong>

**ZERO: Takumi is still on Earth, like in Paradise Lost.**

* * *

><p>It's been a few days now ever since my first battle against an Orphnoch in Halkeginia. Ever since that night, the Nobles of the Academy had looked at me in a different way compared to before. Kirche had told a few of her friends about that battle and it soon spread around like wildfire. Pretty soon, I was the only thing that everyone was talking about.<p>

The teachers of the Academy were the most intrigued of the rest. Seeing that I was summoned by Louise, who is still being called "Louise the Zero", the teachers were surprised by how well I can handle myself which makes me wonder how much they thought that Louise wasn't going to have a bright future considering that Familiars and their masters were meant for each other.

But even if the teachers don't have faith in Louise, I was still there. Unfortunately for me, Louise has been using me lately. Not for protecting or anything like that, but for laundry duty instead...

In fact, I was doing that right now!

"Stupid Familiar contract...making fun of me and the Delta Gear..." I muttered to myself as I folded the last of Louise's laundry. You know, at times like this, I wonder why I even obey that brat. But a contract is a contract and I don't break them, sadly...

As I picked up the basket, I looked up to see that a group of students were making their way to their class with their Familiars by their sides. I heaved a sigh,"Guess those little guys have the same problem as me..." I looked up to the sky and thoughts about my world started flooding my mind within seconds,"I wonder when I'll be able to get back home. Leaving Kaixa to fight the Orphnochs alone will be tragic."

Then, a hand pinched my ear and I winced in pain,"Ow! What was that for?"

I turned to see Louise standing beside me with her arms folded and she looked annoyed."Will you stop muttering to yourself and get my clothes back to my room? How much longer are you going to spend on laundry instead of escorting me to class? You really are useless!"

Rolling my eyes, I made my way up the stairs to the dormitories,"All right. Just wait for me down there. I'll be back in a minute."

"Well you better hurry up!" Louise yelled.

**Still being used as nothing but a slave I see.**

"Shut it, Griffon. This isn't a good time to start an argument, you know."

**Oh, I'm sorry. But I'm just here to remind you that this is your final day, Tadashi. Either you agree to my deal or I'm taking over this body of yours.**

I froze. Three days sure does fly by once you're used to this place."Griffon, how long more do I have?"

**Today's the last day, Tadashi. You have to decide by tomorrow or I'll gain full control of your body once tomorrow ends at midnight. Think wisely, Tadashi. You spent the last three days doing nothing but laundry for that brat. Not one Orphnoch has appear ever since Worm was destroyed. Maybe they got the news that you've mastered Delta.**

I chuckled to myself as I opened the door to Louise's room."That reminds me, Griffon, where's the manual for the Delta Gear? I still have to learn about the Command Codes if I'm going to have to battle more Orphnochs soon."

**You don't need that manual, Tadashi. You have me to guide you. Besides, those antennae on Delta's mask will display new Command Codes for you when the time is right. Right now, focus on what you know. And right now, it's time for us to get back to that brat. **

As much as I disagree with that, I have no choice but to put down the basket and walk back out of the dormitories.

Once I was out, Louise started walking towards her class while I ran up to her side."You know that you could have just walk to class yourself, right? Or is it a "I have no choice but to follow it" kind of rule that Familiars have to escort their masters?"

"The second one." Louise stated as plainly as she could.

Typical. Someone's going to have to change that rule one day and I hope it's soon too.

* * *

><p>Once we got into the class, all eyes were then on me. I guess someone like me has become famous just because I saved Louise and Kirche.<p>

Louise ignored the other students as she made her way to her seat while I followed closely behind her. To be honest, I always act nervously around people when I see more than ten pairs of eyes looking at me. Yeah, I wasn't good at anything that involves people looking at me.

Pretty soon, Miss Chevreuse entered the room and she began the lesson."Class, where did we left off yesterday?"

"You were talking about the four types of elements and what they can do when class ended, Miss Chevreuse." A student replied.

"Ah, that's right. Fire, Water, Earth and Air magic can create a different, stronger effect by combining multiple elements together. Furthermore, the level of Mages is determined by how many elements we can combine. What are those levels?"

Montmorency was the first to reply. She stood up and gave a smile before she spoke,"Two elements combined form a Line, three forms a Triangle and four forms a Square."

So that's why these people kept on saying shapes. I was wondering about that. It was a good thing I decided to pay attention in class.

"I believe most of you can only deal with one element at a time." Miss Chevreuse added. Then, she looked over to Louise and me,"Although I'm not so sure about you, Miss Vallière. Most Nobles and even Square Mages have summoned Familiars but none of them have proved to be capable of combat. Yours, however, has quite the knowledge of combat even thought he is a Mage Knight as what some students claim due to your artifact."

Was this a joke? Fighting is all I've been doing ever since the Orphnochs took over, of course I must have knowledge of combat. And what was this artifact they were talking about? Was it the Delta Gear?

"I assure you, Miss Chevreuse, I am no Mage Knight. However, everything else you say about me is true. I do have a handful of knowledge about combat. Just ask Guiche." The entire room's attention was now on Guiche as his face turned bright red and he slowly lowered himself under his seat while everyone laughed at the memory of my duel with him.

"Yes. Well, at least we know you mean us no harm, which is a good thing since you saved both Miss Vallière and Miss Zerbst from a monster." Miss Chevreuse replied.

* * *

><p>"Well that went well, don't you think, Louise?"<p>

Louise rolled her eyes. I could tell she was getting annoyed but I have no idea why she was this upset about. But I didn't care. All I care about was that lesson was over and I could at least get some time off.

"Tadashi, take the day off. I have something that I have to do. But don't go and cause trouble for me." Louise spoke before she made a dash for her room. All I could say was thank you! The entire day to myself, I wonder what I will do first. Maybe I'll head to the kitchen for some lunch or maybe I'll even solve the mystery of the Shadow Wheel.

**Tadashi, you should spend your time practicing with the Delta Gear and maybe even think about my deal instead of doing useless things like what you just said.**

"Hey, food is important too! How else am I going to survive?"

**You're an Orphnoch now. Food is nothing more than a distraction. Orphnochs do not eat to survive, we kill to survive. And as for the Shadow Wheel, we'll leave it to the Academy to figure it out. It isn't our problem unless it's an Orphnoch.**

"You're right, Griffon. So where do you think we can go to practice?" Don't get me wrong, this place is huge but most of it is where students will usually hang out whenever they're out of classes. You can say nowhere is safe to practice.

**Have you ever thought about the the Academy's roof? No one ever goes up there and there's plenty of space to practice.**

"I guess I have no choice, huh?"

**Mastering the Delta Gear means one thing, Tadashi. But having full control of it is another. Training with it could help you learn more about it. Now get moving!**

"One question, how the hell do I even get up there?"

**You really are useless. You have my wings for crying out loud! Change into my form and fly up there!**

Oh yeah. I completely forgotten that I was able to change into an Orphnoch. I face-palmed myself for my stupidity as my body started changing into Griffon's body. Then, my feather vest started to split open, revealing it to be a pair of wings. My wings started flapping as I lifted off the ground and I quietly ascended to the roof.

Once I was up, my wings lowered themselves and formed my feather vest again as I changed back into my human form. I removed my cloak and set them down as I strapped the Delta Gear onto my waist and spoke the Command Code,"Henshin!"

_**- Standing By! -**_

_**- Complete!**_** -**

As I connected the Delta Phone to the Delta Mover, my transformation commenced with a flash of blue before I was clad in my Delta suit."Now what to do practice? There isn't much here on the roof to do."

**Tadashi, enter 9-4-7. It's a Command Code that only the Delta Gear is programmed with.**

"All right. It better be something good or I'm getting off the roof." I removed the Delta Blaster from my belt and held it close to my face,"9-4-7."

_**- Training Mode, Activate!**_** -**

Before I knew it, holograms of three soldiers materialized in front of me. All three of them were clad in a black military-like uniform, they were SMART BRAIN's soldiers! The soldiers then pulled out three identical belts and strapped them to their waists. Then, they lowered the SMART BRAIN logo on their buckles since they were sticking out vertically."Henshin!"

_**- Complete!**_** -**

All three soldiers were engulfed in a bright light, causing me to shield my eyes. Once the light faded away, I lowered my hand, only to find out that those three soldiers were SMART BRAIN's Riotroopers.

The three Riotroopers pulled out their weapons, SMART BRAIN's modified combat knife which I heard from many humans were called the Axel Ray Gun.

**Since Delta was the first belt created by the Orphnochs, they thought that it would be much easier if the user could train by himself. So they programmed this holographic training into the belt so that Delta's user could train on his own when needed. And right now, it's a good time.**

"Oh? So these three aren't real? This makes it easier."

**Just don't get too carried away. These may be holograms but they can steal hurt you and vice versa. One more thing, the are also visible to the naked eye so make sure you don't let them fall off the roof. The students will freak out if they see you fighting them. They would think that the Academy's being invaded or that you went berserk.**

"I got, I got it. Don't go overboard. Now, it's time to let loose." I replied as I cracked my knuckles. I was getting pumped up just by watching those three holograms surround me like I was some sort of prey. Well this prey has some tricks up his sleeves.

As the three Riotroopers surrounded me, they switched their Axel Ray Gun from a combat knife into a gun and they aimed their weapons at me. Thanks to Griffon's enhanced senses, I was able to detect the slightest movements from the holograms. The one in front of me was a trigger happy kind of hologram from the twitching finger he had. And as expected, he fired first, followed by the one behind me and then the last one who was to my right.

I retaliated by jumping into the air, causing the energy beams to collide with one another which caused a small explosion that was enough to create an E.M.P for some reason. Trust me, I know because when the explosion happened, my visor started malfunctioning for a brief minute and the holograms malfunctioned as well with the same timing.

"An explosion caused by three energy beams is able to cause a one minute E.M.P, huh? Interesting discovery in just the start of the training."

The holograms then charged at me with their Axel Ray Gun switched back into a combat knife.

I dodged each of their attacks with ease. Were holograms this weak? One of the Riotroopers then grabbed me from behind. He pulled my arms and held them behind my back as the other two Riotroopers lunged forward with their weapons.

Before they could land a blow, I did the most childish, yet easy way of breaking free from the Riotrooper's grip. I stomp my foot onto his and he winced in pain, giving my an opportunity to take out my Delta Blaster,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

I blasted the Riotrooper with the first three shots, knocking it down. Then, I turned and fired the remaining shots at the other two, knocking their weapons out of their hands."Check..." I threw a punch to one of the two Riotroopers and it nailed one of them in his chest while I swung one of my foot at the other, slamming the Riotrooper onto the ground with that attack."...mate. Your time has come."

The two Riotroopers faded away from the roof within seconds afterwards and I turned back to the last Riotrooper. However, I couldn't find him at all.

"Shit! If he's down at the courtyard or anywhere else, I am screwed!" I muttered to myself.

But then, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders and I was thrown back. I crashed and tumbled a few times before I managed to keep my balance. I looked up and saw the Riotrooper with the two Axel Ray Guns that was dropped by the other two Riotroopers that I have already defeated. The Riotrooper pounced on me and I sidestepped him and gave him a kick to his back, knocking him down as he tumbled towards the edge of the roof."Oh shit!"

Luckily, I was able to grab him on time. I lifted the Riotrooper up and tossed him before I grabbed my Delta Blaster again,"Charge!"

_**- Charge!**_** -**

Now that my ammo was refilled, I aimed the Delta Blaster at the Riotrooper as he tried to stand up. I pulled the trigger and the first three shots hit him right on his chest. I pulled the trigger again and the second round hit both his hands, causing him to drop the two Axel Ray Guns. The final round was then fired and it struck his legs, forcing him to his knees.

I immediately removed the Delta Mission Memory and inserted it onto the Delta Blaster, causing its screen to flip open and its barrel to emerge."Now, your time has come as well. Check!"

_**- Exceed Charge!**_** -**

As the familiar beeping noises sounded off, I aimed the Delta Blaster at the immobilized Riotrooper and pulled the trigger, this time, instead of a funnel shaped projectile, a drill shaped projectile was fired from my Delta Blaster's barrel. The projectile penetrated the Riotrooper's chest armor and I leaped into the air. As I did a midair somersault, I stretched out my right leg as my body was engulfed in blue energy before I disappeared into the projectile and emerging behind the Riotrooper.

A triangle soon appeared on the spot where I had struck and the Riotrooper's body burst into red flames before it faded away just like the previous two.

"Strange. The other two didn't go up in flames like this one. Lucifer's Hammer must have some weird side effect."

"It is no side effect, Griffon Orphnoch!" I turned around and saw a cloaked man standing a few feet away from me. But the most suspicious thing about him was that he knew I was an Orphnoch. He flashed a smirk under his hood,"That's right. I know what you are. There's no use trying to hide your true identity from me. After all, I am the one who developed the S.W.A.R.M bees for you."

The developer of the S.W.A.R.M bees?! No wonder this guy knew about me! But how on earth did he even get the tech to build those tiny machines? I doubt anybody in this world knew how to make such weapons. They rely too much on magic.

"You must be surprised, Griffon. Don't be. After all, I am just like you, a servant to the true Orphnoch King." The cloaked man said before he removed his hood to reveal his slightly tanned face. His hair was navy blue, an interesting hair color but what can I say? Louise's hair is pink for crying out loud. Then, the man's face started developing markings all over it before an outline of an Orphnoch appeared and his entire body changed into an Orphnoch's body.

His Orphnoch form was obviously grey like every Orphnoch is. But what caught my interest was that he was an Orphnoch who resembled a jackal or something like that. His face looked exactly like a canine from a child's nightmare. Two pointy ears could be seen. Around his wrists were spikes and his legs were covered with grey fur while a tail swayed from left to right from behind him.

"I am Anubis Orphnoch. A loyal follower of the Orphnoch King. It is an honor to finally meet you, Griffon, the loyal bodyguard of the King."

Who is this Anubis guy anyway? Why would he just walk into the Academy like this and how did no one see him at all?"What are you doing here?" Was all I could say.

Anubis chuckled,"How silly of me. I came to see how you are doing. After I sent Worm Orphnoch to attack you, I wanted to know if you are still alive."

"You were the one who sent Worm to the Academy?!" If you could see my anger, it is reaching for the skies at the moment. The amount of anger I currently have towards Anubis, the Orphnoch I just met, just skyrocketed by tenfold.

Anubis bowed,"I apologize for the inconvenient, Griffon. But I had to prove that you are indeed the Griffon that I am working with. And I wanted to see if you were still loyal to the Orphnoch King"

"Work with? What do you mean by that?"

"Griffon, have you forgotten? You are the Orphnoch King's bodyguard. I am the Orphnoch King's Executor. We are suppose to wait for the moment the King awakens. And for that to happen, I have to work with you to destroy any Orphnoch who tries to claim the title for themselves until the time comes. Has Worm hit your head too hard?"

**His right, Tadashi. I'm sorry that I forgotten to mention that I wasn't the only one who has followed the Orphnoch King since the beginning of time.**

You could have at least tried to remember that! At times like this, I wished I could really hit Griffon on his head.

"Anyway, Griffon. I want you to have this..." Anubis handed me a small box full of S.W.A.R.M bees.

"It's best if you have them with you, Griffon. You may never know when they would come in handy which I'm sure it will." Anubis said."I must go now. Take care, Griffon. We will meet again soon. The night is arriving." Without another word, Anubis's body was engulfed in some sort of black energy and he completely vanished from the roof.

I looked up at the sky and realized that Anubis was right. The night has arrived! And I better get back to Louise or I'm up against a fight I bet I will lose...

* * *

><p>"Crap! Crap! Crap!"<p>

The time was nearly pass my curfew that Louise gave me. My pace instantly quickened as I sprinted towards the room. I am never going to be late again after what had happened two days ago. I still remember that horrifying night...Louise...explosion...never-ending explosions...

If I was late again, I could say good bye to my cloak. The last explosion I received nearly ripped it to pieces! To make it worst, I don't have a spare and I was starting to like it too.

As I turned a corner and stopped. Right between me and my ticket out of an explosive night was an overgrown orange colored lizard who I knew was Kirche's Familiar, Flame. But why was he doing out here and in my way? Wasn't he suppose to be with Kirche since he is her Familiar? My questions seemed to either be ignored or answered when Flame crawled over to me with speed that matched a frightened Guiche and tackled me to the floor.

Before I knew it, Flame grabbed my cloak and somehow carried me away from Louise's room on his hind legs. How will I explain this to Louise? More importantly, how was Flame even carrying me?! I'm heavier than he is! This world just keeps getting weirder and weirder it seems. But luckily, Flame didn't brought me anywhere far from Louise's room. That's how I felt when I was being dragged like a rag-doll. But in reality, I was brought over to the other side of the tower that Louise's room was in.

Then, Flame dropped me inside of a dark room, lit by candles. The room looked exactly like Louise's room but the only thing missing was the lights and Louise herself. Bur why would Flame bring me here when he knew I was supposed to be in Louise's room?

"Welcome." A soft, gentle feminine voice greeted me and I turned around to see who was it. Very bad idea it was...

What I saw from that moment, was Kirche in a...rather revealing kind of nightgown that reached to her mid-thigh. However, her front view was exposing itself to me, allowing me to see her purple panties. Basically, Kirche was trying to start phase one of what I would call "Seducing and Getting Laid". And to tell the truth, I...am...never-ever...going...to...give...in!

"What do you want, Kirche?" I asked, playing along with her little game.

Kirche pouted playfully as she waved a finger in my face,"That's no way to treat the host, darling. And welcome to my suite, my armored hero, Sir Tadashi Delta. Or was it just Tadashi?"

"The name's Tadashi, Kirche." Phase two of Kirche's obvious plan had just finished, mispronouncing the opposite's name. Phase three was underway.

"I got it, Tadashi..." Kirche replied before she posed in a seductive way."I know this might sound dirty, but my nickname is Kirche "The Ardent"." Her eyes gazed at me as they glittered under the moonlight."Like a torch, I am easily turn on." Phase three, cheesy lines, complete. Fortunately for me, I still wasn't giving in. After all, how is an Orphnoch going to be attracted to a human, despite the human being a diva.

I gave Kirche my best poker face that I could make and replied,"Uh...I see."

"Don't you get it? I'm in love with you!"

**Don't fall for that, Tadashi! You remember that she was with another guy on the day we first arrived here, right? And don't forget that she had another guy within her fingertips in the classroom as well.**

"Don't worry, Griffon. I have it all under control. She is the one who's within my fingertips. I'm just toying with her."

**I hope you know what you're doing, Tadashi. **

Kirche started to lean in closer to me,"You were so strong and brave when you fought that savage beast! The way you fought was more elegant than any combat-trained knights I have seen before. It was truly magnificent!"

Gee, I wonder how many knights she has seen fighting. Maybe she managed to seduce them too.

"Seeing you fought that monster has changed me a lot, Tadashi! You have changed me from Kirche "The Ardent" to Kirche "The Passionate"!" Kirche said as she closed in on me, puckering her lips as she prepared to kiss me. My hands slowly reached for my Delta Blaster. That's right, I'm blowing my way out of here! But then...

"Kirche!" We both looked towards Kirche's window and I saw the same guy that was with Kirche on the night I was summoned to this world. But instead of seeing a lovesick face on him, I saw the look of shock, betrayal and sadness.

"Oh, Sticks!" Kirche gasped.

"I came by because you didn't show up at our promised time. But it seems that you look...busy." Sticks replied with a scowl directed at me. I wonder if I should take this chance to escape. Impossible, Flame is still lying around and he could catch me again if I tried to escape.

"Then let's change our date to two hours from now." Kirche said.

"That wasn't the deal we agreed to!" Sticks cried.

With a wave of her wand, one of the candles's flame turned into a flaming serpent and Kirche shot it at Sticks's face, sending him on a long way down.

"Wait a minute, isn't this a three story fall from up here?" I asked. I had a plan and I was going to like it.

Kirche smiled,"He will be fine, Tadashi. He's just a friend anyway." She then turned back towards me with a seductive smirk on her face,"Now, where were we? Oh right, the one that I love the most is..."

"Kirche!" Again, another voice could be heard.

We turned towards the window again and this time, we saw another guy who I think was another one of Kirche's "Boyfriends". He had the same look on him as Sticks had too, towards me."Who is that man?! I thought that we agreed that tonight, I was going to..." Unfortunately for the guy, he met the same fate as Sticks.

"Was that another one of your friends?" I asked, smirking.

Kirche sighed,"That's right. Anyway, the night is short, and I don't want to waste anymore time being here with you!" She leaned in again for another kiss.

"Kirche!" This time, it was three guys who were at the window and they were pushing and shoving each other as they all spoke at the same time,"What are you doing?! You said you didn't have any particular lover!" Can someone tell me how many men Kirche has seduced?! That's five guys I've seen so far. So how many are there? Six? Ten? Twenty?

"Manica! Ajax! Gimly! Well then...how about six hours from now?"

"It will be morning by then!" The three guys yelled in unison.

Kirche turned, but she didn't look at me. Instead, she looked at her salamander."Flame!" The salamander stood up and he unleashed a powerful fire breath that fried the three guys and send them crashing, twice the pain the first two guys got.

I took this as an opportunity. Removing the Delta Blaster from my gun holster, I muttered,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

Kirche looked at me, surprised."What did you say?"

"Nothing." I replied as I open fired at the floor, scaring Kirche off of me. I immediately got up from the floor and I ran for my live towards the window. What? It's the fastest way out of here and back to Louise. Anyway, I leaped out of the window which was still open and I landed on top of the five boys, who groaned from the impact. Apparently, they were still recovering from the burns they received as well as my recent fall."Sorry about that, boys. Kirche's all yours so don't bother about me." I said as I sprinted towards where I am needed at, Louise's room.

"You can't run away from me forever, Tadashi! Flame is able to pick up your scent. You better be prepare because I'm coming for you!" Kirche shouted through her window. Jeez, can't she take a hint? I don't like her!

Luckily, I remembered something from earlier today. Anubis gave me some S.W.A.R.M bees. They should be able to keep Flame off my trail. All I need to do was to put my scent onto all five of those mechanical bees and I'm in the clear. If you want to know how I knew that, ask the human liberation troops. They were the ones who taught me about Orphnoch's enhanced smell.

I rubbed the bees in my hands and I dropped them onto the ground,"5-0-6-3!"

_**-S.W.A.R.M Bees, Engage Scouting!**_** -**

The bees activated and they took off into the air and followed me,"Disperse! I don't want Kirche to find me!" The bees seemed to understand me. They split up and went in five different directions while I made my way towards Louise's room.

As I made my way up the tower and straight into Louise's room, the pink-haired girl yelped in surprise at my sudden entrance."Where have you been?! Do you know how long I had to wait for..."

"No time to explain." I interrupted."Just make sure that Kirche doesn't come up here." I pointed towards the window as I crouched behind the door and Louise walked over to it.

"I see Kirche and her Familiar running in a zigzag manner around the tower. What's going on? Why are you running from her? Did you cause any trouble?!"

I shook my head."No, I did not cause any trouble. And I'm running away from her because she is trying to make me fall in love with her!"

"She's what?!" Louise blinked. From the looks of it, it seems no one has ever try to run away from any of Kirche's advances. Well, I am the first! Kirche isn't my type and I'm standing by it! But still, who wouldn't want to be with a girl like Kirche? She's hot and everything, just the way Nobles like. But not me.

Louise stared out of the window for another brief minute before she sighed,"It seems that Kirche isn't around here anymore. She went back to her room." I heaved a sigh of relief as I got up from my hiding spot. Then, Louise gave me a smirk,"Seriously? You said that you were a protector of Humanity but yet you run away when a girl tried to seduce you?"

"It wasn't my fault! Kirche just isn't my type. And didn't you hate Kirche?"

Fury took over Louise as I could feel anger pouring out from her,"Hate her? I despise her! Kirche's family, the Zerbsts, and my family, the Vallières, have long been arch-rivals! It's a disgrace to my family if one thread, one dog, gets taken away by a Zerbst woman. Got that!"

"I...guess so." Who knew Louise and Kirche's families had such a history.

Louise started to calm down,"Well, since Kirche is after you, how about you follow me into town? I was going to go get a few things. Maybe there might be something that could be useful to you."

"Wait, there isn't school tomorrow?"

Louise shook her head,"No. Tomorrow's Voidday. It's a day where Nobles get to bond with their Familiars. It's basically the same as the second day you were here except that we get the whole day to ourselves."

I shrugged,"All right. Anything's fine with me as long as I'm away from Kirche."

Louise huffed,"It's just something you owe me, Tadashi. After all, I did help you see if Kirche was coming up here."

"Fine. What's the catch?"

"The thing is, I need you to use your armor for the Familiar Exhibition Festival." Louise replied.

My ears perked up,"You're kidding me, right? Because from the sound of it, the Familiar Exhibition Festival is some sort of talent competition."

Louise nodded,"Yes. It is something like a talent competition. Do you have that back in your world?"

"Well, before the Orphnochs invaded, humans used to have talent shows but since Familiars don't exist, people have to do it instead. People used to be happy too, some would win, some would lose but that's how a talent show runs."

"But that's different here." Louise said."After the second years have summoned their Familiars, all of them are to participate in the Festival. It is tradition for them to display their Familiars and their talents."

"Can't you just back out of it? I'm...well...not good with people...looking at me. Especially if there's more than ten pairs of eyes looking at me. I'm stage fright!" Yes, I'm man enough to admit defeat for this and I don't regret it, unlike most Nobles I know of...

"Unfortunately for you, it is compulsory for all second years. There's just no excuse to get out of it." Louise pointed out.

I sighed,"Great. I'm going to be the laughingstock of the entire Academy and maybe even the whole country." But as long as I'm far away from Kirche, I'll be fine.

* * *

><p><em>In a town close to the Academy, a strangely dressed man entered a Sword Shop. His weird-looking cloak covered his body so nobody knows what's under it while his hood covered his face, showing nothing but complete darkness.<em>

_"Welcome to my humble Sword Shop!" The owner of the shop spoke as he came out from behind a room."What can I get for such a fine looking fella?"_

_The strange man looked around the shop before approaching the owner. He reached into his cloak and pulled out a pouch full of coins before dropping it onto the owner's hands."Give me the best sword you have. I want the one everyone has been talking about, the one made by the best blacksmith in Halkeginia."_

_Smirking, the owner kept the money in his pocket and went back into the room he walked out from."Wait right here. I have what you're looking for." As he entered the room, he started snickering to himself as he muttered,"That fool of a Noble...he's going to be an easy scam if I pulled it off just right." He grabbed the sword he had came to get and made his way back out of the room._

_"Here is the sword you're looking for, sir." The owner said as he laid the sword on the counter._

_The man picked it up and examined the sword. It was as he expected it, a sapphire colored hilt with its jagged curved blade. It's blade glittered under the shop's light and a gem on the hilt shone. The man smiled,"This is it. I'll be on my way now."_

_"Have a safe trip, sir!" The owner said as he waved to the strange man, who had walked out of the shop._

_An hour later, the man had reached the outskirts of the town, where he was greeted by an eerie silence. The man found this normal since no one would stay up late and outside of a town so he continued to make his way towards his destination._

_However, he heard footsteps, loud footsteps and they were fast, meaning whoever the footsteps belonged to was running towards the man's direction._

_The man halted and unsheathed his newly bought sword."Who's there! I demand you to show yourself!"_

_A mist developed and it surrounded the man and an area within a hundred meters range. The footsteps stopped. Instead, the footsteps sounded as if the person was walking instead of running. Not only that, the person had also started whistling in an eerie tone. The man started shivering, not from the coldness that the mist was giving off, but from the whistling he was hearing._

_"I'm not lying! Show yourself or you'll regret it! I am a Noble and I can stop you, coward!" The man cried as he held up his sword._

_Then, the whistling stopped. The footsteps grew silent, as if the person had stopped moving. But the mist was still surrounding him. The man sighed in relief, thinking that he had scared the person. However, as he turned around, he was greeted by a pair of glowing eyes. The man screamed in fear as he dropped his sword and fell on his back. fear engulfed the man as he backed away from the pair of eyes._

_Suddenly, the mist grew thicker by the second and the eyes slowly faded away into the thickness of the mist. _

_The man slowly got back up to his feet and he kept on walking until he found his sword. Then, he felt a presence behind him. Big mistake..._

_As he turned around, he was greeted by the same pair of eyes but there was more. The eyes came closer to him and a silhouette of a humanoid creature appeared before it emerged from the mist, revealing its ash colored body. The creature resembled a Swordfish. It's body was covered in blade-like armor and in its hands were two identical swords._

_The creature laughed as it watched the man tremble in fear."Good. Be frighten, human. Once I'm done with you, there will be nothing left of you but your body. Become an Orphnoch!" He raised his swords and brought them down onto the human, who rolled away from the blades. The human picked up his sword and charged at the Orphnoch._

_Once he took a swing, the curved blade cracked and it fell onto the ground, shocking the human while the Orphnoch laughed."Pathetic! What kind of Noble carries a sword that is fake? You must have gotten scammed by someone. That shows how unaware you are, which will cause you your life." The Orphnoch stabbed the human's chest with one of his sword but it wasn't at his heart. No, it wanted to kill the human in a more...efficient way._

_The Orphnoch brought the human closer to him and a long tentacle emerged from his mouth and it entered the Noble's mouth. The tentacle reached the Noble's heart and instinctively, it jabbed the organ with sheer force, making the Noble jerk forward from the pain he was feeling as he felt his heart disintegrating from a burning sensation it had._

_When it was done, the Orphnoch dropped him,"If you become an Orphnoch, have fun having your revenge on the one who scammed you of that sword you got from him."_

_Soon, the Orphnoch vanished into the mist as the Noble's eyes turned entirely grey. He got back up on his feet and turned towards the direction that the Orphnoch vanished and knelt,"Thank you for what you have done..." The Noble muttered as Orphnoch marks began appearing on his face. He looked down at the broken sword and stepped on its hilt,"That sword seller better watch out. He will receive his death soon."_

* * *

><p>When the morning sun rose, I could feel a sudden shiver that went down my spine. It's as if there was something bad happening while I was watching over Louise. Speaking of Louise, she had just woken up.<p>

"Tadashi, have you forgotten again?" Louise asked, annoyed."As my Familiar, you have to dress me up!" Sometimes I wish that I could just rip this contract apart and be on my way. I would rather serve the Orphnoch King than this brat!

**Oh? Has someone finally agree with me for once? It's good to hear you say that, Tadashi. If only the Orphnoch King was here to hear that! By the way, the deal ends today. So you better decide before midnight or I'm taking control of you.**

"Shut it, Griffon!" I hissed as I went over to dress Louise up.

Minutes later, I was done. And when that was over, Louise dragged me out of the tower after I put on my cloak and we made our way towards the entrance of the Academy. There, a horse was waiting by the entrance, happily enjoying the grass it seems.

As Louise hopped onto the horse's back, I stood firmly to the ground.

"What's the matter? Have you never rode on a horse before?" Louise asked.

I shook my head, embarrassingly."I...I never got the chance to ride one before. I mean, I was excited to ride one back in my world but that was weeks before the Orphnochs invaded. So I'm a bit anxious about this."

Louise rolled her eyes,"Just get on and hold onto me." I gave her a nod and I climbed onto the horse's back. Then, before I knew it, the horse started galloping out of the Academy and towards the nearby town.

"Whoa! I wasn't ready at all! Slow down will ya? I'm going to fall!" I cried as I tried to keep my balance on the horse as it neighed.

"Hold on tight!" Louise said and I did as she told me to."W-what are you holding onto?!" Louise stuttered. I was confused for a moment about what she was saying but I soon realized that I was holding onto her...chest area. A blush formed on my face as I lowered my hands onto her stomach.

"I-I'm sorry about that, L-Louise." I muttered as the horse continued to gallop towards the town.

* * *

><p><em>From Kirche's room, the redhead had heard everything the pair had said before they headed off towards the town. Anger grew within Kirche as she put down her brush,"What? They're heading out? I should have known Louise would try to keep my darling all to herself! There's only one thing left to do..." Kirche turned around and ran out of her room and she made her way towards another room."Tabitha~"<em>

* * *

><p><em>In Tabitha's room, the light-blue haired girl was lying on her bed, reading a book. <em>

_Then, a knock on the door was heard and Tabitha grabbed her staff and waved it as she cast a spell. As the door opened, Kirche burst into the room and she started babbling out silently while her mouth moved, as if her voice had been muted. After a while, Tabitha waved her staff again, undoing her spell to allow Kirche to speak._

_"Tabitha! We're leaving! Get ready!"_

_"It's Voidday." Tabitha replied without looking up at the redhead._

_Kirche pouted as she rested a hand on her hip,"I know Voidday is important to you. You see, I fell in love! But he went out with that damn Vallière. I have to find out where those two are going! You understand, right?"_

_Tabitha shook her head._

_"That's right, you won't do anything without an explanation." Kirche said as she took a deep breath. Then, she continued,"I want to chase after the two who went out, but I can't without the help of your Familiar. Please help me!" For a moment, it seemed as if Tabitha had ignored her since she placed her book down. But the light-blue haired girl nodded, earning a smile from Kirche,"You understood me? Thank you!"_

_Tabitha got off her bed and she opened her window before whistling. Then, a blue dragon appeared from the sky and it was then clinging to the side of the window, awaiting Tabitha and Kirche, who climbed out of the window and got onto the dragon's back before it took off again._

_"Your Sylphid is magnificent no matter how many times I see it." Kirche said as she held onto the dragon's back as tightly as she could while keeping her balance._

_"Which way?" Tabitha asked._

_Kirche smiled sheepishly,"uh...I was in a hurry, so..."_

_Tabitha leaned towards the dragon's ear and whispered,"Horse. Two on top. You can't eat them." The dragon gave a nod before it sped up._

* * *

><p>After riding on that horse for what I think was three hours, we finally reached the town.<p>

I got off from the horse and my legs gave way, causing me to fall on my face. Yeah, I wasn't good at horseback riding. I wonder how I'm going to feel when we get back to the Academy after this...

"You okay?" Louise asked as she extended out a hand which I accepted.

"I'm fine, Louise. Just make sure not to go that fast next time. I'm not so good with going up and down on a horse's back. I have a habit of feeling nausea if I do." I could tell Louise was laughing at me right now even if she wasn't actually laughing. She was actually trying very hard not to laugh at me but her expression gave it away.

"Seriously? You can fight Nobles and Orphnochs and win but you can't control your stomach when you ride on a horse?" Louise taunted me. Oh she is going to have a piece of my mind...one day.

"Shut up, Louise. So, what do you want to get?" I asked as I tried to stand on my two feet.

Louise looked towards the town and replied,"Well, I was thinking we could get something useful for you. Perhaps a sword would do." Wait, a sword? When was the last time I held one of those? Oh wait, I didn't! I could barely hold it up properly! I'm much more better off with my Delta Blaster but if Louise says so, I follow. I didn't want to face another one of her explosions...

As we walked around the town, we bought quite a few things but I wasn't sure what they were since I don't recognize anything from the town except for clothes, furniture, fruits and vegetables. But as we walked by all the shops, I found something in common with all of them,"Louise, why don't the shops's signs have words on them?"

Louise sighed,"It's because some of the Commoners can't read."

"You're kidding me, right? Isn't reading and writing the basics of everything in society? Why can't all the Commoners read or write?" I asked, shocked by her answer.

"It's because many Commoners just cannot dedicate themselves to it." Louise replied."Many Commoners don't have the resources to enter schools or learn it. And even if they did, they would rather focus on whatever they have learnt from their masters or families. Only a few would dedicate themselves to writing and reading."

"That sounds familiar...medieval for some reason..." I said.

"What about your world? Do they read and write?" Louise asked.

"Well, obviously everyone in my world reads and write. Well, some can't afford it though but majority of Earth's humans can read and write. Humans on my world are able to choose whatever they want to learn and whatever jobs they want."

"Your world seems a bit...weird." Louise replied.

Soon, we turned the corner of the streets and Louise smiled,"Look, we're here. And your sword is the last on the list. Perfect! We can take our time to search for a sword for you!"

"Welcome to my humble shop!" The shop owner, I think, said as we entered."What kind of sword can I get for you?" Then he looked at Louise and me before he sighed with a smile,"It seems that letting servants carry weapons has become a trend recently for Nobles, even in the castle."

Louise made her way towards the counter and spoke to the owner,"I request you give my Familiar your best sword in the shop."

The shop owner must have been shocked when he heard that. Because after Louise said that, he looked towards me with his mouth agape and he pointed at me,"But isn't he a human? And he's a Noble just like you! How is that possible?!"

"Long story, sir. I wouldn't want to explain it cause it wastes time. Just do as the girl says and you won't have any trouble." I replied while observing some of the swords being displayed.

"As you wish." The owner said as he made his way into the room behind him. But I felt a disturbing feeling coming from him. It feels so familiar too, just like how I feel around people who loves to scam others. I have to be extra careful with this man. He could probably sell us a fake and get away with it.

Soon, the man came back out with what I would call the most flashiest sword I had ever seen in my entire life. The sword was in the color of gold but I suspect that steel wasn't part of the sword's construction. Not only that, I could see a whole set of jewelry encrusted in the hilt. Even if I have never wield one before, I could tell that this was a sword used only for scams.

Unfortunately for me, Louise wasn't paying as much attention to it as I had.

"It's beautiful!" Louise said in awe.

"It's made by Germania's Mage-Alchemist, Sir Spee. It will slice steel right in half." I wasn't buying this shit.

"How much is it?"

"3,000 Gold coins, Miss."

That confirms the scam. It was a fake sword. The only thing I need to do now is prove it to Louise.

"What?!" Louise cried."That's enough for a new manor with servants included!"

The owner simply smirked,"A good sword is worth just as much as that, Miss." I walked up to the owner, who still had that smirk on his face. I gave a smirk of my own under my hood. We'll see who's going to have the last laugh.

I picked up the sword from his hands and examined it. The owner smiled,"How do you like it?" I smirked as I held the hilt of the sword. Then, I tried a few swings with it before I smashed it on the counter, giving both the owner and Louise a shock.

"W-what do you think you're doing?! That was an expensive sword!" Louise exclaimed.

"Yeah, if it even was a real sword. Oh wait, it didn't survive cutting through wood! And you said it could slice through steel." The owner tensed up. I could see sweat dropping from his neck. I smirked,"A real sword isn't suppose to be flashy, Louise. Only an idiot would believe this is a real sword. You're lucky I'm not such an idiot. I would have let you get scammed. Oh, and 3,000 for a piece of gold trash is outrageous." I glanced over to the owner, who looked like he was shitting his pants, which I hope he was because I tossed the two pieces of the broken sword at him, nearly impaling his neck but not really since it hit the wall.

"In fact, I would rather prefer an ordinary sword compared to the fakes that you have." I said with hatred in my tone as my eyed the owner. It was people like him that made me lose faith in Humanity at times."I rather take a sword with a little more subtle."

"Oh ho~ So you know what you want in a sword huh?" A new voice said. I took a look around the shop. But all I saw was Louise and that shop owner. Who was it that was calling out to me?

"Over here!" The voice said again. I turned towards the direction where the sound came from and all I saw was a barrel of weapons that was rusting away. Probably the cheaper ones than those fakes. Then, the barrel shook and several of the swords rattled. As I walked over to it, a blade shot out from the rest of the other weapons and I took a step back.

"Get back in there, Derflinger! I won't have you chase away my customers!" The owner cried as he got away from the broken sword that I threw.

The sword laughed,"Your customers? Well to me, it seems like they wouldn't consider themselves as that since the boy saw through your scam." A talking sword huh? Might come in handy if I would ever need advice. But why was it even here in the first place?

"Derflinger?" Louise asked.

Nodding, the sword replied,"Yes! My name's Derflinger. Nice job, kid. You saw through his scam unlike other people. Tell you what, kid, why don't you give him some gold and take me home? I know I'm a bit rusty, but give me a good polishing and I'll be one heck of a weapon to use." I was kind of convince by this sword. In fact, I could have sworn the rune on my hand was actually glowing when I held him!

I tried a few swings with Derflinger, the same way with the fake sword. To my surprise, Derflinger felt like a real sword! His weight was the same as any other real swords you could find. And...wait a minute, how did I even know that?! I hardly have any knowledge of swords! There's something wrong about this...and the glow of my rune isn't helping.

"Louise, I'll take Derflinger." I said to Louise, who gave me a shocked expression.

"Are you serious?! Are you really going to take that rusty piece of metal back with us?" Louise asked.

I nodded,"Besides everything else I have seen so far, Derflinger is the only thing worth buying in this shop, even if he is rusty. But a good polish will get him looking like a true sword, just as he said." Derflinger cheered as Louise handed a few Gold Coins to the owner after the two managed to agree to a hundred Gold Coins instead of that ridiculous 3,000 Gold Coins.

As we made our way out, the doors burst opened and a strange cloaked man with a curved sword on his back walked in, pushing me and Louise aside.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, jerk!" Louise yelled. However, the cloaked man ignored Louise as he approached the owner. Was he going to return that weapon on his back? Because it looks like a fake to me. Speaking of that, I looked down at my rune, which wasn't glowing anymore. Weird, it seems.

* * *

><p><em>Once Louise and Tadashi had left the shop, the cloaked man stopped in front of the owner, who was trembling by the sight of his "newest customer".<em>

_"Y-y-you! H-h-how do you f-f-find the fine sword I gave you?" The owner stuttered as he backed away._

_The cloaked man growled as he tossed the curved sword aside and jumped over the counter. He extended a hand and grabbed the owner by his neck. The man glared at the shop owner and barked,"You said that it was the best sword you have! But what I got from it last night was nothing but humiliation and death! You will pay for scamming me, Commoner! I will enjoy doing this..." _

_As he tossed the owner onto the ground, he removed his cloak and Orphnoch markings began appearing on his face as his entire body began changing. His grayish body appeared first before his head turned cone-like and spikes protruded from all over his face, shoulders and chest. The Noble had changed into Cactus Orphnoch!_

_"AAAAAHHHHH!" The shop owner screamed in fear as he ran towards the back of the shop, where he ran towards the backdoor._

_Cactus laughed,"It will take more than that to escape me, Commoner!" He smashed the backdoor down and walked out of the shop, scaring all the other Commoners who were walking pass him."I will have my revenge!"_

* * *

><p>After me, Derflinger and Louise turned a corner, we entered the town's market again. But only this time...<p>

"Darling~" I heard a familiar voice sang.

I turned, and regretted doing so. Because when I did, a pair of arms wrapped around my neck and it brought me closer to none other than Kirche. Behind her was the light-blue haired girl, Tabitha, I think.

"So this is where that Vallière was bringing you. Why is it that she brought you to the town? And what's that on your back?" Kirche asked.

Before I could say anything, Derflinger spoke,"I am a sword, Miss. In fact, he bought me just minutes ago."

Kirche gasped,"Oh my! Darling, why would you buy such a worthless piece of scrap? Vallière, are you really that poor that you had to afford that thing?"

I could feel anger pouring out from Louise when Kirche said that. To be precise, Louise was going to blow! Her eyebrows twitched and she tightened her grip on her wand,"Oh I'm poor, am I? We'll see who will be poor once I do this!" Louise immediately raised her wand and I braced for the worst as I hit the deck.

Of course, an explosion went off, but it wasn't Louise. In fact, Louise didn't even cause an explosion! It was someone else. I looked around and saw smoke near the sword shop. What did that shop owner do this time? Did he piss the cloaked man off or what?

My answer soon came when I saw the shop owner running from the same corner me, Derflinger and Louise came out from. He tripped and fell on his face. He looked up at me and frantically ran towards me with fear on his face,"Help me! There's a monster chasing after me!" A monster? No...don't tell me that there's a...

An Orphnoch resembling a Cactus then emerged from the corner as I was about to say it. That Orphnoch looked piss as well. This shop owner really got himself into a lot of trouble. The Orphnoch stopped when he spotted me. He clenched his fists and spoke,"Are you protecting him?"

"I guess I have no choice..." I muttered as I dropped my cloak and Derflinger, which Louise quickly picked up and I grabbed the Delta Phone,"Henshin!"

_**- Standing By! -**_

_**- Complete!**_** -**

Once I connected the Delta Phone and Delta Mover together, my Delta suit appeared again on me and I cracked my knuckles,"If you want this man, you're going to have to go through me first! Even if he does deserve this for trying to scam me."

The Orphnoch laughed,"Then why are you defending him? Allow me to cleanse this world of that Commoner!"

I scoffed,"Although that seems tempting, I won't budge. You'll have to fight me first!"

"Very well then. Prepare to face death!" Cactus cried as he charged at me.

I pushed the shop owner aside and I dodged the Orphnoch's attempt to tackle me. Cactus recovered from it instantly and he charged at me again. This time, I grabbed two of the spikes on his face and lifted him up before throwing him back onto the ground.

"Whoa! Look at him go! Why didn't you tell me my new partner is a Mage Knight?" Derflinger asked Louise.

"How would I know that? I'm still surprised about it even though he's been with me for quite a few days." Louise replied.

"Just look at my darling! Isn't he magnificent!" Kirche exclaimed with her eyes sparkling.

"Not sure." Tabitha spoke. It seems like she was doubting my way of fighting, or at least that's what I thought.

Cactus got back up and spoke,"That belt...it gives a Noble like yourself such power. I must have it!" And before I could tell him I wasn't a Noble, he charged at me again. Only this time, he managed to tackle me. The Orphnoch pinned me down with both his hands and he started punching me. Luckily, I had my Delta suit on so it was absorbing most of the blows.

I kicked the Orphnoch off of me and I got back up. As I did, I grabbed the Delta Blaster and spoke,"Fire!"

_**- Burst Mode!**_** -**

Pulling the trigger on the Delta Blaster, all twelve rounds of energy beams were fired directly at the Orphnoch's chest. However, the spikes on his chest and face repelled the beams away. Was that even fair at all?! He had the advantage with his spikes. I had to focus on close combat instead.

After I placed the Delta Blaster back onto my belt's gun holster, I cracked my knuckles."Guess I have to get dirty!" Both me and the Orphnoch then charged at each other. He threw his fist at me first but I, on the other hand, ducked it and delivered a punch to his stomach, causing him to stumble back. I walked up to the Orphnoch and executed a Roundhouse Kick that made my foot collide with his face, knocking him down. Luckily, the spikes didn't affect my suit from that kick.

The Orphnoch then grabbed my feet and pulled them, causing me to fall on my back. After that, he placed a hand on my neck and his other on my Delta Gear. Shit! He really is trying to steal the Delta Gear!

I grabbed the Orphnoch's hand that was choking me and I crushed it, making the Orphnoch wince in pain. Then, I pushed him off with my foot. As I got back up, I turned to Louise.

"Louise! Try a spell!"

The pink haired girl gasped,"You know everything I try will result in an explosion!"

"That's the point! Do it!" I cried as I braced myself for Louise's explosion.

Louise raised her wand and pointed it at Cactus. Then, she began chanting a spell. When she was done she waved her wand and the explosion came. But it actually backfired my plan, unfortunately. The explosion happened directly in front of me and I was sent crashing into one of the shops and my transformation was undone.

"Tadashi!" Louise cried as she ran over to me while Kirche and Tabitha followed from behind.

When they came over to me, I looked up at Louise,"I...I think you should work on aiming that explosion..." I felt an intense pain coming from my abdomen and I rested a hand on it, only to realize that the Delta Gear wasn't on it anymore! I looked around frantically for it and I couldn't find it anywhere."Where's my belt?!"

As the girls began looking for it as well, Cactus approached us,"Looking for this?"

We looked up at him and I gasped. in his hand was my Delta Gear."Give it back!"

The Orphnoch merely laughed as he strapped it onto his own waist,"I saw how you used this thing. Now, it's my turn to use this power! Henshin!"

_**- Standing By! -**_

_**- Complete!**_** -**

As the Orphnoch copied my transformation, the same blue glow engulfed him and he was soon clad in the Delta suit, which I had feared. My worst ightmare of being in this world has come true. The Orphnochs have possession of the Delta Gear!


End file.
